Dylan Sam didn’t ask his parents for a gift this year. Maybe he thought his new three-month-old baby brother, Riley, was present enough.
Instead, what the seven-year-old from Esquimalt wants is a Christmas Eve party — just like the family threw last year.
On Dec. 24, 2012, parents Michelle and Mike Sam took the money they saved from October through December to bring together both sides of the family for a Christmas Eve celebration. Michelle is originally from Nanaimo and Mike is from Brentwood Bay.
It was a night of excitement, entertainment, lots of food and good cheer. There were casseroles and lasagna, finger foods, fruit platters, cheese-and- cracker platters — and an appearance by Santa Claus (Michelle’s dad) no less, said Mike Sam 30.
That’s all Dylan wants for this Christmas, said Michelle Sam, 28.
“This year we can’t do it, and the other side of the family don’t have an income either,” Michelle Sam said.
Michelle is on maternity leave from her job in the jewelry department at Walmart in the Uptown shopping centre. Her employment insurance amounts to about $200 a week.
Mike, a maintenance supervisor, concedes that his job doesn’t pay a lot and he has recently had his hours cut back.
It comes at a bad time for the family, who rent a two-bedroom duplex. They have just applied for subsidized housing.
The Sam family say they are living from paycheque to paycheque and want nothing more than to be able to afford groceries to put good food on the table for their family.
Michelle Sam said she is breastfeeding but due to a lack of overall milk must supplement with formula, which can add to the grocery bill.
She laughs as she explains she tries to provide good meals, but when there’s protein on the plate — in the form of pork chops, for example — there’s no rice or potatoes and vice versa.
A play saucer for her infant would be a nice treat, but it’s not a necessity like food, she explains.
“It’s the little things in life that matter more,” Michelle said.
Any grocery vouchers will make a big difference to the family over the holiday season and beyond, she said.
How to donate
The Times Colonist Christmas Fund and its predecessors have been helping less-fortunate families since 1956. Every year, the generosity of our readers allows us to provide food vouchers and gifts for children.
To make a donation:
• Online, go to CanadaHelps.org by clicking here.
• Call 250-995-4438, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
• Mail or drop off in person at the Times Colonist, 2621 Douglas St., Victoria, V8T 4M2
