Gingerbread (and others!) are bringing Christmas to a town where Christmas has been forbidden, a town filled with children who have never even heard of Santa. Yes, Santa Claus is coming to visit the children in the secluded polygamy community of Short Creek for the first time, and he needs our help! Help us visit the town where the Grinch stole Christmas, and fill it with Christmas trees, lights,
toys, gingerbread cookies and love! Send in-kind donations to: The First Christmas, 1145 N. Hildale, Utah 84784
The twin polygamist towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona were once a single town known as Short Creek. To change the negative reputation of Short Creek, then known for polygamy, prophets, and prison, in the 1960's the town was split into two and renamed. Somewhere along the way, the town also lost Christmas. I saw it with my own eyes. Last year I took my family to visit the polygamist community with two ubercool former members of the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), Alyssa Bistline and Willy Steed. While exploring the town on Christmas night with Alyssa, Willy, and my family, we did not see a single house with Christmas lights. In this joyful holiday season while everyone is celebrating, I ask all of you to remember that many who have recently left the FLDS polygamist church in Short Creek are not celebrating. They are barely surviving. Most of these people, especially those newly out of the group, are like human trafficking refugees facing significant life hurdles, from spiritual to financial, from physical to psychological. They are not anticipating the excitement of Christmas because, as one recent escapee from the polygamous lifestyle said, “I don’t even know what Christmas is or how to celebrate it.”
It is the most magical season in our country, and yet hundreds of children in this sheltered community do not even know what the Christmas spirit feels like. These former FLDS people, especially those who just left their church, have never had a Christmas tree. They are about to experience their "First Christmas," but they’ve never heard of a nativity scene, Santa Claus, they've never heard Christmas carols, and never gone Christmas shopping. Help us change that. Help us show these polygamy refugees that the outside world they were taught to fear is actually full of love, happiness, and people who care about them. Can you spare a box of Teddy Bears or puppets, anyone? The children don’t know who Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is. Blasphemy! Maybe you have some old Christmas DVDs you can send? These families have never put up Christmas decorations, and may not even know that Christmas started as the celebration of the birthday of Jesus. Since the FLDS polygamists were not allowed to use the Internet, watch TV or movies, the devout members never even got a glimpse of Christmas from the media. It's literally like the Grinch came in and stole Christmas from the entire town. Be warned, however, that if you make the Grinch analogy to a resident, since it is a pop culture reference from the media, they will likely look at you with a blank stare. The Grinch That Stole Christmas? What's a Grinch, what is Christmas and why did the Grinch steal it? Imagine that. An entire town has missed also out on our family must-watch-every-year Christmas movie traditions, including "A Christmas Carol" and "It's a Wonderful Life," etc. In fact, to make matters worse, the FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs made sure they were not having a wonderful life at all. A few years ago, he even banned toys! Children had to throw their toys in the trash. All of them. No joke. Short Creek literally became the town with no toys. It is time to change this! You can make a difference. Please join Mrs. Gingerbread and friends in bringing back toys to the town where toys have been banned, and introducing Christmas to the town where children have never even heard of Santa! We are putting together an event called The First Christmas, with the launch activity on Dec. 16, hosted and assisted by The Girlfriends Club, a women's empowerment group full of hundreds of women who used used to be FLDS. Leona Bateman, president and founder of the group, lives in Hildale and is coordinating details there in Short Creek. Presents, donations and love are being provided Church for the Nations (Pastor Lindsay), and others listed below. We need donations to pull this off! Sound Choices Coalition, a 501(C)3 is handling the financial donations. If you don't want to send money, you can send actual donations to: The First Christmas, 1145 N. Hildale, Utah 84784
If you would like to know how you could help (YES WE NEED MORE HELP!) contact Christine Marie (Mrs. Gingerbread) at 702-751-5881.
