An eight-year-old boy in Winnipeg is spreading holiday cheer, one handmade ornament at a time.
Spencer, who was born with a rare genetic disorder that affects almost every part of his body, plans to spend the weekend handing out homemade ornaments to his neighbours in Crestview.
His mother, Sabrina Gamey, says it’s a tradition that started during the pandemic.
“He struggles to use his hands, and he really loved painting because it was a different motion, but he liked painting things,” said Gamey. “So he started painting ornaments, and the next thing you know, we had hundreds and hundreds of these ornaments and had to figure out what we were going to do with them.”
Listen to Sabrina Gamey’s full conversation here:
It was a mild winter that year, and with many people staying home due to public health orders, they decided to spread some holiday cheer by delivering ornaments to their neighbours.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to meet so many of our neighbours. Our street has about 400 houses, and people come out to meet us. They wait for us when we’re delivering them to see him, and we even had somebody drive down the street chasing us last year because they missed us when we went by their house,” said Gamey. “It’s really opened up more doors in our community. As they get to know us, they’re asking questions about Spencer, which we’re open to sharing about. And it also helps to raise awareness about something that most people have never heard of before.
The tradition has continued for six years, and this weekend, weather permitting, they’ll be back out sharing joy with the community.
“We’re going to be out there bundled up with Christmas music playing, so you’ll definitely see and hear us coming.”
Gamey says they will continue to bless their neighbours with ornaments for as long as Spencer is willing to make them.
