Firefighters Deliver Traditions of Joy to Children and Adults

The holidays are synonymous with family, togetherness and fun traditions that bring joy. Some bring simple relaxation time, some are rooted deeper than others, but all get their community together and spread smiles.

It’s that time of year again. Last year, we covered traditions that involved gift drives and station design competitions were spotlighted across firehouses in the U.S. This year brings unique costumes, tasty food, and giving back to the community.

The Christmas Chicken

The Corbett, OR, Fire District has one of the most unique Christmas traditions in the U.S. It’s not Santa delivering gifts. It’s not Mrs. Claus or their elves. It’s a chicken, and the story dates to the 1970’s.

In the 1970’s, the department wanted to rent a Santa Claus outfit but was a bit too late. The wife of then-Fire Chief Nev Scott went for the next best thing, a chicken costume. With the history of vicious winds flying through Corbett, the narrative of the East wind and the chicken’s feathers working together allowed for a believable story.

Originally, the chicken was used to deliver gifts to the children of firefighters, but it has developed into a full-fledged program to help families who are in need. The community has donated up to $6,000 to the Christmas Chicken in a single year.

This year, Lt. Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky donned the costume to greet students at one of the two elementary schools. Giving out high fives, hugs and candy canes brought smiles to the kids’ faces. The person in the costume rotates, and Zimmer-Stucky thinks that it’s important for everyone to experience being in the costume.

“Being able to have people genuinely excited to see us, and not just the sense of relief they feel when they know help is on the way, but just experience the fire service in a different way. I think it’s great for the community, but I think it's great for firefighters to have that experience too,” said Zimmer-Stucky.

The department works with local schools and churches by making appearances at various events. They identify families that need extra support and donate food, presents and gift cards.

“Christmas time is more than just decorating a tree and hanging up a wreath. It's about finding ways to spread joy and support your community. I think the Christmas Chicken tradition lives up to really what the spirit of Christmas is about,” said Zimmer-Stucky.

Events include the high school assembly where the Christmas Chicken and the Corbett Cardinal faced off in a dance battle, that according to Zimmer-Stucky, “The Christmas Chicken won hands down.” They also host the students of the residential school who are unable to go home for a holiday dinner, gifts and activities.

“This year, any surplus dollars that are raised and not spent on Christmas presents for the families will go into a newly established community fund that supports the other community programs. Like our life jacket program on the Sandy River, where we put five life jacket stands along the river and keep them stocked all summer long,” said Zimmer-Stucky.

“Another is the scholarship fund for students who are graduating from the local high school, who are looking to go into a first responder field or have a strong volunteer background. While the Christmas Chicken only comes out during the holiday season, the support that we receive during this time of year spreads throughout the year,” said Zimmer-Stucky.

From unique traditions that have been around for decades to a newer tradition that involves current members of the department and retirees.

A meal for all

In 2018, the fire chief of the Charleston, SC, Fire Department, Daniel Curia, saw his proposed idea of having a holiday tradition at the end of the year come to fruition.

“When I got to Charleston, one of the things I wanted to make sure that we did was around the holidays. I wanted to thank the team for their effort during the year and all the solutions to the problems that they come up with every single day. I wanted to roll the retirees in because it is easy for retirees to feel lost after he or she formally leaves the organization,” said Curia.

The department has a retired assistant chief come back to the station and cook the holiday meal. Curia boasted that it helps that the retired assistant chief is a phenomenal cook, and cooks throughout the entire night. The menu brings options of pork barbeque, chicken thighs, potatoes, green beans and mac and cheese.

It gives them a breather and gives thanks to those who put their lives on the line but also gain amd grows fellowship between companies that may not cross paths all that often. Curia likes to have three or four different companies at lunch at any given time.

“I was the one who put the idea in the heads of the leadership, but any one of them would have done it," said Curia. "So, I can't say that I did anything special."

The meal runs for a few hours each day, and those different companies along with various retirees will stop by for 30-40 minutes and then continue their shift. Curia states that there are 15-20 people there at any given time and about 140 each day.

Each year, they take a step to bridge the gap between the older generations and newer generations. Even through Covid-19, the department delivered the meals to the different stations. While it took the fellowship out of it, their goal was for the tradition to bounce back, and it has. 

“The retirees are not forgotten, we love them. They're still part of the family. They are just in a different phase of their career with us, if you will. They get that smile on their face and when they see other retirees that they haven't been in contact with for several years, their faces light up. It’s special,” said Curia.

Making people feel acknowledged and appreciated, especially around the holidays can mean a lot. The next tradition falls right in line with that but has a different path to where they are now.

Giving back turns into a tradition that will last a lifetime

A cadet program turned into a seven-year Christmas tradition that helps families in need is the story of the Pittsville, MD, Volunteer Fire Department.

The department was awarded a $500 scholarship grant for its cadet program, and the department wanted to put that same money back into the youth around the community. From there, the entire community got involved with donations to sponsor families struggling over the holidays. This year the total that was reached was $4,100.

This year the department has adopted four families with eight adults and 11 children. Second Assistant Chief Gary Bratten does the vetting of the families by doing research and conducting interviews. Bratten also dresses up as Santa to deliver gifts via the fire truck.

“We put out on our Facebook page nominations, for people to nominate families, and some families you know have nominated themselves because they've had hard times,” said Bratten.

Bratten and others will go out to various stores to get nice gifts for the kids, including name-brand clothing, quality shoes and gift cards to make a holiday meal. In addition, their local Dick’s Sporting Goods, Vernon Powell and Walmart will give discounts and gift cards for those shopping trips.

“It’s very heartwarming. It's one of those priceless moments being able to be in these homes as Santa with all the fire department members behind you, and to be able to give the bags of toys to the families. I see their eyes light up. It’s great to be able to give a good Christmas to these families without wanting anything in return,” said Bratten.

Christmas Kiddies

The longest tradition we look at this year goes back 118 years. In 1906, the city of Charlotte, MI, began their Christmas Kiddies tradition where the fire department gives gifts to children on Christmas Eve across Easton County. In 1982, the Charlotte Fire Department took over the effort.

For Assistant Chief Tyger Fullerton, the tradition comes around full circle. It’s something that his grandfather was on the receiving end of when he was a kid. Fullerton is a third-generation fire chief and has been involved with it his entire life.

“Everyone wants to help as much as possible. We've had people who were down on their luck, lost a job, and then came back and donated the following year when they were able to do so. That’s neat that it’s full circle there, the way it happens,” said Fullerton.

In the last 25 years, they have been able to serve 11,890 kids through 4,761 stops. In 2024, the department is on track to make 180 stops for 450 kids. Names are received by calling the station and requesting assistance and are later verified by the firefighters.

The gifts are wrapped on their wrapping day which involves various people in the department and community, and then are delivered on Christmas Eve. The station will fill up with every department member, families and community members to help set up the deliveries. From there, the red lights are activated, Santa slides down the fire pole and mounts the trucks they are traveling on and the deliveries are made.

“The wrapping day starts at nine o'clock, but if you're not ready to go by 8:30, there's people already knocking at the door, and by 11 o'clock, there are thousands of gifts already wrapped,” said Fullerton.

All the traditions covered so far have had a sense of community. However, the next one, their citizens plan nights and parties around.

Themed Fire Engine

Twenty-seven years ago, the Zoneton, KY, Fire Protection District started a holiday tradition that involved their fire engine and community outreach. It was small, not too elaborate, and was during selective timing.

Fast forward to 2024, there were at least 150 hours put into the tradition.  Including 73,600 LED lights and 13,930 zip ties on that same fire engine, with 14 nights traversing across the 58 square miles of the city. In addition, they have had the same driver for 22 years, Capt. Steven Corbin.

“It started with no lights whatsoever on the truck and just Santa. Then, we slowly started doing a strand here, strain there, and then to now we have a total of four generators,” said Corbin.

It began as just the fire engine sitting at popular stores in the city with the community approaching them and Santa. Now, parties get planned around the night when the apparatus comes through each neighborhood. The buzz around the event stays throughout the entire year.

“After Christmas is done, we'll be out in public, and hear about the Santa truck into June or July. Everybody talks about what it meant to them, and that it’s their favorite thing. Then, they try to figure out what the theme is going to be the next year and how excited they are,” said Corbin.

The idea came from Corbin in 2016 and has evovled annually. The department now has themes each year. From Grinch to Mickey Mouse to this year’s Toy Story, the themes change every year and are a mystery until the first rollout day.

The commitment to the theme is very well thought out, as well. The lights are in congruence with the color scheme, character cutouts are put on the apparatus, as well as firefighters dressed in costumes with Santa on the engine as it rides by. This tradition is something that the community and department value and the turnout on both sides shows that.

“We hear stories, especially me when I go out that some of these people have seen it every single year, and it's their favorite thing. Either a husband or wife, somebody has passed away, and how seeing it makes their year,” said Corbin.

Jumping back to giving back to those who are in need, the next tradition looks at helping bring holiday joy to those who can’t leave where they are.

American Family Children’s Hospital

At the famous American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, WI, the Madison Fire Department and the charity of Fire Fighters Local 311 team up to bring smiles and gifts to those cooped up in the hospital.

This event has been happening since 1964 for different children’s hospitals in the area but has been at the American Family Children’s Hospital since it opened. The two entities work together to donate funds and get gifts for every patient in the hospital including babies, kids, teenagers, brothers and sisters.

The parade of Santa arriving can be seen from the patients’ windows and carolers from the Local 311 and the department greet Santa in the lobby. It is coordinated by Ladder 2 Lt. Kevin McDonald, who is also on the board of trustees for the Local 311. McDonald helps coordinate the shopping, dates, funds and directions.

He stays in the background when it comes to the actual day by handing gifts to Santa. They visit each floor, and the kids come up to them or they visit each room, if accessible.

“When you get in there, there are so many things going on for the kids. The kids that are crying, see Santa walk by, and they're happy. The kids who are very tired and have been sitting in that bed for weeks, Santa comes in and they're laughing,” said McDonald. “It's emotional in a good way. You see the parents with tears. There's so much negative that goes on in the world, and what's going on with these kids; for each kid, the couple of minutes we're with them, they're so happy. It’s just awesome to see.”

McDonald emphasizes that this wouldn’t be possible without the community volunteers, the hospital staff, the department, community donations and the voluntary donations of Local 311 Charities members.

“One of the coolest moments was last year when we had a gift for a kid getting discharged that day, and we just happened to be delivering on his unit that day. They lined up the aisles with the clapping nurses and staff as the kid left. There are balloons, all that stuff, and they invited us to be part of it. That was probably one of the coolest moments out of all the years I’ve been a part of it,” said McDonald.

Through all the conversations and research on these traditions, it’s seen that even through the negatives, even through the lows, there are bright spots and positives that are meant to be looked forward to. For a lot, those positives are the holidays and the consistent action taken year in and year out to let those know that they are appreciated.