Mother and Father Christmas

In December 1982 Jean Paul Charbonneau, a retired Canadian businessman living in the Philippines, and his wife Rosita, a Filipina physician, decided to move to the village of Catarman in Liloan, near Cebu City. As they were preparing to shift into their new home, they noticed a lot of poor children around the neighbourhood.

With Christmas approaching, the couple decided to brighten their lives. “Christmas has always been for the children and that is the only time that they expect gifts from other people, but even the parents of these kids couldn’t afford to buy presents,” says Rosita.

Jean Paul, who is known in the village as JP, and Rosita bought candy, cakes and simple plastic toys, and packed them into 25 bags. Then on December 25, they hopped into their white van and handed the bags out to the surprised kids of the village.

“It was so nice to see those little kids hugging their bundles and the smile on their faces were truly heartwarming,” recalls JP.

Despite the joy of the day, the Charbonneaus quickly realised that 25 bags were not enough. The following Christmas they packed 50, and once again distributed them around the village.

It didn’t take long for the local children to realise that this had become an annual event. In the coming years, they would line up along the van’s route in ever increasing numbers. JP and Rosita were happy to prepare more and more bags.

Soon the growing numbers became difficult to manage. As more and more people, including grownups, turned up, the crowds became rowdy. When the van approached, people would press forward, banging on the windows and asking for their share of the goodies. “I was so worried that we would have an accident,” recalls JP.

So in 1988, the Charbonneaus decided to stop using the van. Instead they asked the children to line up outside the couple’s compound on Christmas morning so they could distribute the gifts in a more orderly manner. By 7 am, over 1000 children had gathered at the couple’s gates. Some mothers even arrived with little kids in their arms, recalls Rosita. “We gave gifts to everyone present and they were all very happy to see the candy and plastic toys inside the bags.”

By this time, friends, household staff and Rosita’s students were needed to help distribute the presents and to ensure everything ran smoothly.

Even though the annual gift-giving continued to grow, the couple has never considered stopping. In 2010, they packed 3500 bags and brought in ice cream peddlers to serve the children as they waited for their Christmas presents. In all it took around 20 people over three hours to hand out all the gift bags.

For the families of Catarman Village, the visit to the Charbonneaus’ compound has become a Christmas tradition. Edna Costorio says that for the past few years, her daughters, Niña, five, and Tiffany, seven, have woken up early on December 25, taken a bath and then asked to be taken to the Charbonneaus’ house.

“Seeing my kids smile every time they get their gifts makes me very happy too,” says Costorio, who struggles to feed her family with the money her husband earns as a tricycle driver. “I think JP is like a real-life Santa Claus.”

Although he believed in Santa Claus when he was young, JP says he does not want the title now. “I’m doing this not because I want to be Santa but because I just love to see the smiles of the children.” Even though the couple spends around $2000 on their annual Christmas giveaway, and they are no longer young – JP is 89 and Rosita is 68 – they have no plans to slow down or stop. “Even if I’m gone my wife will have enough money to continue the gift giving,” JP says.

“I’m not interested in becoming a hero,” he adds as Rosita, who still works as a physician and conducts medical missions around the Philippines, nods and smiles in agreement. “I just want to make kids happy and show those who have more money that they too can help poor children using their resources.”