A kind-hearted first-grade teacher in eastern Idaho was the recipient of a huge gift after a Secret Santa learned of her recent struggles.
Sherri Empey has always loved serving children in her community, but she had to take extended time off earlier this year to care for her husband, Craig, who was battling cancer, East Idaho News reported Monday.
Through the process, Empey stayed on top of preparing lesson plans and did not lose contact with her beloved students.
She and Craig lost their son in April, and in the midst of the couple’s grief, Craig passed away months later.
Empey and her husband were known by their neighbors for dressing up as Santa and Mrs. Claus to delight children around their community and at her school. The East Idaho News article said they also decorated their home every year to look like Santa’s workshop, which added to the magic of the Christmas season.
A local Secret Santa who has been blessing other deserving people in the area wanted to give Empey a special surprise, so he sent East Idaho News’s Nate Eaton and his team to her school to deliver the gift — a check for $10,000.
When Eaton asked Empey why Christmas was a special time for her and her husband, she said, “Christmas was a big deal to us because that’s what happens when you’re married to Santa,” adding she played Mrs. Claus for about 23 years.
When Empey, who clearly has a giving heart, realized the check was for $10,000, she said, “Oh my goodness. Thank you. I’ll use this to pay it forward,” to which Eaton replied, “Well, use it to take care of yourself too.”
Social media users reacted to the touching video, one person writing, “What a sweet lady,” while someone else said, “Blessings to this precious teacher. May she be blessed this Christmas even though her pain is fresh.”
Santa and Mrs. Claus have meant so much to people around the world for many years. The legend of Santa Claus goes back to a monk known as St. Nicholas who lived two thousand years ago and is said to have had a kind and giving heart, per History.com.