Christmas Closet To Return In December

An annual community Christmastime event is set to return to O'Neill in about six months.

December 2012 marked the first of what was to become the annual Christmas Closet. Chrisy Yates had attended a worship service in Kansas City over Thanksgiving that year where she heard the testimony of a woman who had fallen on hard times and was helped by others in her community. Later, when this woman had gotten back on her feet, she felt compelled to share some items of which she had more than she needed, like a crock pot, in a store-like setting where donations were offered, and everything was free to those in need. This story inspired Chrisy to create a similar event, in just two short weeks, for people in O'Neill and the surrounding area to have the opportunity to both give and receive during Christmastime. She made a call to a friend, Ranell Otte, and asked her if she would be willing to help.

Community businesses and the people of O'Neill were asked for donations—and generosity overflowed. The O'Neill Community Center was to be the venue. Donations of new and gently used items poured in to the collection totes at area churches, banks and businesses. Volunteers helped sort through items, set up the Community Center, made signs and took care of countless details to prepare for a grassroots Christmas celebration which, at its heart, embodied the true meaning of Christmas.

Each year, the event grew and became more polished. Chrisy, a daycare provider, took care of the “admin” work: making calls, doing radio spots on KBRX, keeping track of monetary donations, etc. Ranell, a stay-at-home mom of five, collected the totes from the businesses and sorted through the donations. Because the idea was to create a Christmas shopping experience and to provide items that would make suitable Christmas gifts, it was important to categorize donations and combine smaller things into gift baskets. The essential question was “Would I feel good giving this to a loved-one as a gift?”

As the years progressed, one main focus of the evening became setting up an area where children could “shop” for their parents or grandparents or a special adult in their life. One of the side rooms in the Community Center was set aside for this, and was filled with candles, picture frames, tools, gloves, scarves, purses, coffee mugs and Husker or sports items. An adult volunteer would take a child to the “store” to help them pick out something very special and have it wrapped in beautiful Christmas paper by the wrapping team. Both the volunteer and the child often left the room very fulfilled.

In 2016, Chrisy and Ranell received the Community Service award from the O'Neill Rotary Club. Rotary had been instrumental in helping with all facets of the event from its inception. In 2017 however, The Christmas Closet partnered with Rotary so those making monetary donations could benefit from their 501 (c) exemption status.

December 2019 was the last year the Christmas Closet ran as it had been originally set up. Both Ranell and Chrisy had gone back to school in the fall of that year, after which Chrisy was planning to open a preschool and Ranell hoped to become a full-time art teacher. It was uncertain how much either of them would be able to be involved in the future Christmas Closet events.

Covid prevented the event from happening at all in 2020. In 2021, Reah Rider from Christ Connection Center graciously volunteered to host the event. Christ Connection Center closed in Fall of 2022 however, and Chrisy and Ranell had both begun their full-time jobs. No Christmas Closet was held last December.

Anna Otte, Ranell's third child, had been involved in helping with the Christmas Closet since she was 5 years old. Her favorite part of the preparation was helping sort through the donations and organizing them into categories. Anna had volunteered during the event as well, as one of Santa's “elves” and in the kids' craft section. She had mentioned several times throughout the years that she was excited to be able to volunteer in more ways when she was in high school. Last December, Anna told her mom that it seemed kind of empty without having the Christmas Closet. Ranell told her to check with Chrisy to see if she would want to start it up again. Chrisy was ecstatic! After a long meeting with her at the Otte's kitchen table, laying out all that was involved, the three of them decided they, along with the O'Neill Rotary Club, would again hold the community event.

The Christmas Closet embodies what it means to come together as a community for something greater than oneself. There is no way to list everyone and every business, organization or individuals who have been somehow involved in making it successful for so many years. Whether giving to those in need through time, talent or treasure, or humbly receiving what others have to give, the collaboration of all who come together for this Christmas celebration illustrates true Christian charity during a time the world is trying to suppress it.

The 10th Christmas Closet will be held on Monday Dec. 11, 2023. Please watch and listen for information throughout the fall months as requests will be made for donations and volunteers.

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