Lower Burrell caregiver, client spread cheer to Alle-Kiski Valley children with letters from Santa

It’s Christmas week, which means Santa Claus is busy making final preparations to deliver presents to all good little girls and boys around the world on Christmas Eve.

Most children know of Santa’s elves and reindeer, who help him out in the North Pole. But many might not know about another special helper of his: Amy Louise Geertz Kriss of Lower Burrell.

For the past 25 or so years, Kriss has been going around to Alle-Kiski Valley stores and handing out letters from Santa to children.

She passes out letters while she’s out shopping, or schedules times to go to stores simply to hand them out.

She also mails letters to children she personally knows. She writes them all herself.

“I just love little kids, and seeing them happy is really a good thing,” Kriss said. “This year is just such a depressing time, so I feel like it’s even more meaningful that I’m doing something like this.”

Kriss started the annual tradition with children in her family. As time went on, she decided to branch out to youngsters she came across while shopping.

“Sometimes, I tell them that I used to live at the North Pole right by Santa, and I moved to Pennsylvania,” Kriss said. “But Santa still likes me to help out every year. So, that’s what I do.”

On Monday, Kriss donned some Yuletide apparel to pass out letters at the Walmart in Harrison.

Accompanying Kriss were Chris Gott and her dog, Teddy. They dressed up, too.

Gott is autistic and Kriss is his caregiver. She sometimes brings him along to hand out letters. He absolutely loves it.

“It makes me happy,” said Gott, 32, of Lower Burrell. “I like talking to people about the Santa letters and saying ‘Merry Christmas.’ ”

Kriss has gotten more enthusiastic in her delivery over the years.

She will walk up to a child, and ask for the child’s name. The child’s parent is there, of course.

If they say “Devin,” Kriss will joyfully reply with, “Devin, I’ve been looking for you! Santa told me to come down and find you and give you this letter. It’s a letter from Santa!”

She will get mixed reactions. Some children are shy and don’t say much. Others will get very excited.

“I remember one little girl. I gave her a letter from Santa, and I told her she’s on Santa’s nice list,” Kriss said. “She was jumping up and down (saying), ‘I’m on the list! I’m on the list!’”

Jessica Graham and her son, Leland, were among the families who received a letter on Monday.

At first, the two-year-old seemed more interested in the candy he was holding. But he eventually held up his letter and exclaimed, “Merry Christmas!”

Graham thought the display was cute. She said her son would be excited to show his dad the letter when they got home.

”I wish he was more talkative,” Graham said. “He was talking the whole way through the store.”

The letters Kriss mails to the children she knows include the child’s name. The letters she hands out at stores say “Dear Friend” because she doesn’t know the children’s names beforehand.

“They don’t seem to mind,” Kriss said of that detail. “Some of them are so happy.”

Breana Daugherty and her son, Shawn Zanavich, also were surprised with a letter on Monday.

Shawn, 4, was pretty shy throughout the chipper exchange. Kriss tried to lighten the mood with some humor.

“How old are you, Shawn? 15?” Kriss joked.

Asked what she thought about the letters, Daugherty said, “It makes the kids happy, so that’s all that matters.”