“Whenever I’ve been in need, people have been there to do for me. That always touched me. And although I’ve gone through some difficult times, it’s made me a better, stronger person. It’s given me a greater heart. Mike and I have been so blessed. When we see someone hurting and needing assistance, we want to do everything we can to help.

“This past Christmas, there was one particular family really down on their luck. The wife works until 8:30-9 at night at a storage lot in Houston. The husband had a good job, but he got laid off when COVID hit. He had just gone back to work, but they cut his pay and hours. They live in an old, one-room office trailer. They have a 9-year-old boy and three babies under 18 months. One of the babies is theirs, and then they’re raising a little niece and nephew.

“So when we heard about them, we decided to adopt them for the holidays. We got them things like groceries and diapers. But we wanted to know what the kids would like for Christmas. The mom didn’t want to ask for anything. She said the babies could use a sippy cup from the dollar store, and the boy could use socks. Of course, we saw to it that they had a good Christmas. And we’ve continued helping them. Our neighborhood even helped us get more clothes for the kids and gift cards.

“I like helping anybody in need, especially people I can really relate to because they went through something similar to me. There was a young woman recently whose house burned down, and she was left with nothing. I bought her a little Bible and devotional book, and gave her a gift card so that she could go get what she wanted. I gave a card with my phone number and explained that I’d also been through having my house burn down, and that she was welcome to reach out for anything she needed or wanted to talk about.

“I just get more of a blessing out of doing for others than I do people doing for me. I know this is the work that God’s led me to do.”

— Brenda Meredith

Learn about those in need and how you can help on the LoveThyNeighbor – Chambers County Facebook page, organized by Chambers County Judge Blake Sylvia.

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The post ‘When we see someone hurting, we want to help’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I did my first play when I was about 5 years old. It was a church Christmas play, and I was the star that led the wise men to baby Jesus. I discovered that I was a big ham, and I couldn’t get enough of it. My mom started taking me to do community theater shows. That’s how I ended up getting a scholarship to college and meeting my husband. We were in the same theater department.

“Community theater has always felt like a haven for me. I was a weird kid, and that was where a lot of the other weirdos went. That’s where I always found people like me, who didn’t necessarily fit in but could pretend to be somebody else for a little while.

“Believe it or not, I’m kind of a shy person. So when someone gives me the words to say, I’m like, oh my gosh, this is amazing. You gave me a script. I know what the other person is going to say back. This is fantastic. I wish real life was like that. Because I feel like I rarely say the right thing. Sometimes my mouth just starts running before my brain can catch up.

“I’ve always enjoyed musicals. As an 8-year-old, I wore out our VHS copy of ‘Singin’ in the Rain.’ I loved that movie. I’ve been trying to expose my daughter to musicals, putting them on while she’s in the room and seeing her reaction. The first time I put on ‘Annie’ for her, the minute the orphan starting singing ‘It’s a Hard-Knock Life,’ she jumped up and said, ‘No. No dancing,’ and just ran out of the room. So I was like, OK, I guess mommy’s going to go down this road alone. But she’s not even 3 yet. She still has plenty of time to come around.”

— Rebecca Barker

A former Baytown resident, Rebecca lives in Michigan with her husband and their daughter.

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“My talented and crafty sister and niece have given me beautiful wreaths for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Their gifts were so meaningful that they inspired me to do the same for my friends and other family members.

“I have always enjoyed decorating my house for each holiday, as well as my classroom when I taught. Around Christmas in 2018, I made wreaths for three of my close friends and my sons’ families. After Christmas, those friends came over for a wreath-making party, and they created spring and Easter wreaths.

“I certainly don’t consider myself an expert. But other friends have asked if I would share what I know, and I enjoy doing that. Throughout last year, I continued to create wreaths because it was fun, relaxing and even therapeutic.

“Under our current circumstances, it also provides peace for me in this chaos. I’m busy thinking of someone who might find joy and a distraction from the daily reports through my Facebook posts. It’s a catch-22 right now, but I wish I could host a wreath-making party. Hopefully, after the restrictions have been lifted, I can have that party.

“I made 20 to 30 wreaths last year. Except for one Astros wreath, I never kept any of them. I considered this wonderful hobby a form of ministry. I donated to nursing homes and various fundraisers.

“As more people saw my wreaths, they encouraged me to start selling them. That took courage to even consider because I never thought of myself as marketable. I never wanted the joy of making wreaths to be overshadowed by pressure or a deadline. But this January, I finally decided that I’d give it a go.

“There is a plethora of fabulous wreath makers. Just as a flower doesn’t compete with another flower in a garden, wreath makers don’t, either. We all have our own appeal. My style has certainly evolved and, hopefully, improving with each wreath I create.”

— Paula Groberg

See Paula’s wreaths on her Hang It Up page on Facebook. Find information there on how to order one of her creations.

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“Puppies today are so immature. I was never like that.”
— Merry

“She’s a white Scottish Terrier. They’re pretty rare. You don’t see many white ones.

“A friend gave her to me as a Christmas present when she was a puppy. It was a surprise. I had never had a dog in my life. I thought, what am I going to do with her? But let me tell you, now you couldn’t give me $1 million for her.

“When she was young, she ate all sorts of stuff. Our vet had to remove a nickel from her stomach. Eight months later she swallowed two acorns with caps on them and had to have those removed. She was into everything until she was about 3.”

The post ‘You couldn’t give me $1 million for her’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

Watching for the elusive underwater squirrel-duck.
— Prissy, a rat terrier

“I got her as a Christmas present. She was only about a year old, so I bought a book on well-trained puppies. It worked. Nearly everything works when you give her treats.

“We make a round in the neighborhood every morning and evening, and she likes to chase squirrels up trees. 

“It’s funny. She has stuffed toys that look like squirrels and ducks. She gathers them up, puts them in her bed, and sleeps with them at night just like a kid.”

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Meet Lucy, adopted from the Baytown animal shelter, and described as super chill.

“We just took her to the vet for the first time, and they think she’s about 4 months old. We were looking for a dog for our family, and we thought we’ll get it from the shelter and help relieve some of the overcrowding there.

“She was a Christmas present for our kids. That’s like a Christmas dream for them, to get a puppy dog. She’s the new family member.”

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“It was 2011. At the time I was a single mom, and I had lost my job. I was living with my mom, trying to get back on my feet. It was one of those Christmases that was really, really hard. He was at that age where he didn’t understand hardship. We had never really experienced it before. And he was really aggravated with me. He had asked for an Xbox or Playstation or something, and he was upset when I told him he wasn’t going to get it. So I decided I was going to try to teach him something.

“I took $50 out of my savings account — it was pretty close to the last $50 I had — and I went to Walgreens and bought a whole bunch of candy. When I went to check out, the lady behind the cash register asked what I was going to do with all that candy. I told her, ‘I’m going to teach my son a lesson.’ She said, ‘Are you going to make him eat it all?’ I said, ‘No, we’re going to pass it out to the homeless.’ The guy behind me thought it was a really good idea, so he gave me $20 toward it. And the lady behind the register also gave me $20. So I woke Layton up early on Christmas Eve and told him I had a surprise for him. We drove to downtown Houston, just me and him, to the area across from Minute Maid Park. And we just started handing out candy to the homeless people there, telling them merry Christmas. It was a really awesome experience.”

“I was pretty young at the time, but I remember the effect that it had on the people. To see them smile or tell us merry Christmas or give us hugs, that really stuck with me. For them, who didn’t have anything, to show that kind of gratitude for such a small thing as candy was pretty cool. There was one man in particular who told me how he really appreciated what I was doing. He asked if I made good grades in school. He asked if I had been good. And he made me promise to stay in school and always listen to and respect my mom, or else I might end up like him one day. He made me shake his hand in front of everybody that I would stick to that promise.”

“When we were walking back to the car Layton said, ‘I want to do this again. But I don’t want to pass out candy. I want to pass out socks.’ I was like, ‘Socks?’ And he said, ‘Yes. New socks make your feet happy.’ That’s what started it all.”

— Kimberly Kerby and her son, Layton Lewis

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“I’m the Kiwanis Club’s committee chairman for the Partners in Education program. We provide financial support for special activities at Alamo Elementary. We also volunteer for service work to help with projects here. I’m the person she calls when she needs something.”

“They’ve done things like welcome-back breakfasts for faculty and staff, donated money for our library to buy books, helped out at our book fair, bought wristbands for everyone to wear during Red Ribbon Week, and volunteered to help us beautify our garden at the school. It’s a wonderful partnership. We love him. Whatever we need, he’s there.”

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It was two years ago at a private function.

Like 40-plus similar occasions during the busy holiday season, George Jones was decked out in red and white. As usual, he was the star of the show.

Kids are excited to sit on Santa Claus’ lap and tell him what tops their Christmas wish lists. But not every young boy or girl is focused on the latest toys or tech devices.

“I was approached by a young girl who said she was being abused by her dad. I asked if her mom and dad were there, and she said they were. So I sat down and talked with them, and I found out that the dad had an alcoholism problem,” George said. “I told him, ‘By the Santa creed that I took, I have to turn you in to authorities.’ He looked at me and said, ‘But you can’t do this.’ I said, ‘I have to, one way or another.’

“As things turned out, the dad has gotten help and is recovering. He calls every once in a while and says, ‘Hey, thanks for opening my eyes.’ And the daughter is back with them and doing great in school now. I would never have thought that I’d be put in that type of situation. But it is really good to know that there are kids out there who still believe in Santa Claus and feel safe telling him anything.”

After 20 years doing Santa gigs for mostly non-profit organizations in Baytown and the surrounding area, George never tires of it. His outgoing personality and desire to make children happy continues to drive him.

In the beginning

George’s own childhood got off to a rocky start. Born in 1955 with a breathing condition, he relied on round-the-clock efforts by his father, Dr. W.T. Jones, to keep him breathing the first 48 hours.

When he was 6 years old, George learned that he would never be able to father children. It wasn’t until years later that it really sank in.

He has filled the void by doting on 32 nieces, nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews, and by making a difference in the lives of thousands of kids he has entertained as Santa Claus.

George doesn’t need to advertise. The bulk of his events — private parties, fundraisers, parades and festivals — are by word of mouth because of his reputation built through experience and formal training.

“I’m a graduate of two professional Santa Claus schools, one in Colorado and one in Michigan. And I attend the annual Santa convention, where there are roughly 2,500 Santas from all over the world,” George said. “Some Santas are in law enforcement. Some are firefighters. You see people from all walks of life.”

He also is a member of Lone Star Santas, based in The Woodlands. The non-profit organization, which includes members who portray Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, elves and helpers, holds toy drives for kids and helps families throughout the year.

“I’ve learned a lot through all of this. The most important thing is that you have to enjoy being around kids,” George said.

He also has learned to own more than one Santa Claus outfit.

“I have five. From the Friday after Thanksgiving until the 25th day of December, I dress as Santa every day. It may be Santa casual, which is red bibs and Christmas shirt, to tux and tails,” George said.

“I have kids come up to me, even when I’m in plain clothes, saying, ‘Mama, mama, there’s Santa. Can I go talk to him?’ It just happens. I really get a kick out of it.”

When he’s not dressing up as Santa or volunteering with a number of area civic organizations, George enjoys spending time with his wife, Tammy, and his father. One of the founding physicians of Gulf Coast Hospital in Baytown, Dr. Jones is now 96. (Note: Dr. Willis Thomas Jones died on March 13, 2017.)

George also has a long list of hobbies that includes collecting “stuff” (slot machines are his favorite), attending auctions and monster truck events, and traveling.

“But my favorite hobby comes six weeks out of the year, and that’s being Santa Claus for all of these kids,” he said.

The post Playing Santa Claus can be serious business appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I was a cop for years, and I always enjoyed doing stuff for kids. If some kid came up to me and told me that his bicycle was stolen, I’d go find him another one. That’s kind of how it all started.

“For 16 years now, I’ve been fixing up bikes that people donate and giving them to kids whose families can’t afford them. I gave away about 500 bikes last Christmas.

“I wear my red shirt and my Santa Claus hat, and I tell them, ‘My name is Fat Mac Claus. Santa’s at the North Pole making toys, but he’s got me here watching you. Have you been good?’

“I get one hell of a thrill out of it. Seeing the smiles on those kids’ faces, that’s what keeps me going.”

— Ken “Fat Mac” Williamson

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