The annual Santa Shop, displayed on 70 Holcott Drive, again proved to be an amazing force for good this year at Feehan. 3,494 gifts and $6,535 in gift cards were generously donated by students and faculty from each grade, and 400 students spread love and Christmas cheer by taking on volunteer positions such as guides for the 200 families buying gifts, gift wrappers, and even babysitters for the children attending the event. When asked about opinions on volunteering at Santa Shop, John Marcelonis ‘26 responded, “It is so beautiful that we get to help so many families have a good Christmas.”
Bishop Feehan’s Santa Shop event was not always one of the most popular school events as it is today. Max Certuse ‘25 and Mr. O’Brion interviewed a variety of people on the day of Santa Shop for the Certruth Podcast. One whose story stood out above the rest was Mrs. Legg, one of the co-creators of this event. Mrs. Legg and a few friends decided to start this event over 30 years ago, taking inspiration from Coyle-Cassidy and their Santa Shop. Before this event was taking place on Holcott Drive, Santa Shop was held for a number of years in the basement of St. Joseph’s Church in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Mrs. Legg explained how she felt as if there was an aspect of beauty lost from not being in that neighborhood anymore, but she also loved the idea of the expansion of Santa Shop to Bishop Feehan and having more opportunities for turning this event into something bigger than she imagined. And now, Santa Shop is one of the biggest school volunteer events Feehan has to offer. Reflecting on the growth that this event has brought among the community, Mrs. Legg states, “I’ve seen the past four years as having been just absolutely incredible.”
When prompted about the importance of Santa Shop on the Certruth Podcast, Mrs. Legg explained, “I mean, that’s what Christmas is. It’s God coming to the world, coming to us, and we have to respond to that and have an encounter.” She discusses how important it is for Feehan students to encounter the people who come to the event and get the opportunity to have real, down-to-earth experiences and conversations: “There’s something beautiful that happens when you get to have that kind of conversation.”
Whether you had the opportunity to volunteer at the babysitting center in The Rock, to be a gift wrapper in The MacIntyre Gym, or to help families as a guide in the Auditorium, each and every student and faculty member felt touched by the good deeds they performed at this wonderful once-a-year event.
