My hometown.... PIOG

[newmommyas1107]

 For the past two years, it has started with an anonymous letter.

It's always ended with residents receiving cash out of the pocket of a man who locals believe is on a mission to spread holiday joy.

This year is no different as Rutland's Secret Santa made his presence known through another unnamed letter to this newspaper and the first gift doled out Monday.

"For, as in the two years bygone, today I began to visit stores in downtown Rutland, my adopted home, to spread a little holiday cheer in the form of unsolicited gifts of cash," the letter read.

"Given the economic distaste in the air, I decided to begin quite early."

It's become a city tradition based on belief alone — no one knows for sure who writes the letters and leaves them outside the Rutland Herald's door throughout the holiday season.

And when a man mysteriously hands out cards with crisp bills to anyone he chooses downtown, no one can identify him or if they can, they choose not to.

The person who writes the letters, promising to hand out at least 30 gifts of $20 and $50 bills, says his only wish is to remain unknown.

Each delivery is said to be made in silence, "as a cemetery," and is intended to make "hearts glad at the thought alone," according to the letter.

Each gesture is "one that requires no response, no thanks, and no reciprocation," the letter reads.

Perpetuating the holiday mystery is a recipient, one of the first this year, choosing to remain anonymous, too.

An e-mail sent to the Rutland Herald Monday detailed a Secret Santa encounter at Walmart.

"I was shopping … today looking at toys with my cousin's daughter and this man came up to me and handed me an envelope and hurried off," the e-mail reads.

"I was very confused so I opened the envelope that said 'Merry Christmas' on the front … inside was a Christmas card and two twenty dollar bills."

There was no name and no writing on the card but the spirit of the gift endured, nonetheless.

The writer of the e-mail said he or she decided to pay it forward.

"I'm at a point in my life where I am pretty financially stable and the money is not something that I am in desperate need of … I've decided that I'm going to pick a child from the Santa's fund and buy that child something special and then put the rest of the money towards the Pittsford Food Shelf."

No matter how the money is used, the gift giving is welcome in Rutland, according to Mike Coppinger, a lifelong Rutland resident and executive director of the Downtown Rutland Partnership.

"I think it's exciting; it's really unique and you don't hear this in other communities," he said. "In other cases, people may need it (the money) to buy a Christmas present or put food on the table."

[mitch576]

that made me teary! that is very sweet!

[blsdbyangel07]

Awhhhhh that was very thoughtful and sweet!