An isolated little boy from the St. James area of Winnipeg just filled his neighbourhood with Christmas cheer after he handed out handmade ornaments.
"Spencer and myself, because of Spencer, were in isolation for two and a half years straight because he's severely immunocompromised," says Winnipeg mom Sabrina Gamey. "He has a lot of special needs and he has trouble with pens, but he discovered he loved painting."
Back when the pandemic started and Spencer was only three, he enjoyed painting ornaments and ended up painting over 200 of them.
"It was a lot of time inside our little bubble, so to speak. We talked about it, it was a crummy year and they just keep putting out more restrictions, so we thought, why don't we give these out to our neighbours on our street to make them smile, which he loves."
In December 2020, Spencer and his mom walked around the neighbourhood handing out ornaments on the same day the Premier told everyone they couldn't have people in their homes at Christmas.
"We did not expect the response that first year that we got. They couldn't believe this little boy had done all this. It warmed our hearts in a troubled time."
Spencer rolling out dough. (Supplied)The response blew Gamey away so they did it last year and then again this past Saturday. Spencer and Gamey handed out between 200-300 handmade and painted ornaments all along their street from Portage Avenue to Saskatchewan Avenue in Winnipeg.
"This year we started a little early. We mixed, cut, and baked the salt dough in August during rainy days. Spencer painted them all in mid-November and this Saturday we delivered them."
It took Gamey and Spencer two and a half hours but the response from people receiving these handmade ornaments put smiles on everyone's faces.
"One lady actually waited by her door for us to come by so she could hand him some Smarties. There were people outside waiting for a cab to a Christmas party and as soon as they saw us, the lady jumped out and said, 'It's Spencer and his family with this year's ornament. We're so excited.' It's turned into a tradition we're going to do as long as we possibly can."
While the 5-year-old boy has many physical challenges, including being mostly non-verbal, and issues with his legs, he would blow kisses or wish people a 'Happy ho-ho-ho' after giving out an ornament.
This September the intense isolation finally lifted for Gamey, and Spencer could start going to school in person.
"He has been sick more than he hasn't since starting school but he enjoys it. He's been in isolation since he was two so for half his life. He has his first Christmas concert this week."
With the neighbourhood convinced, Gamey wants people to know how wonderful her son is.
"One thing about Spencer that is unique is that he's never asked for anything. I've pulled out flyers or catalogues and he doesn't really seem to want anything. Given everything he's got going on he's truly the happiest, sweetest little boy."
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