Santa's Helpers Deliver Holiday Stockings to Redlands' Newborn Babies

REDLANDS, CA - For months, the volunteers at Redlands Sewing Center have been busy preparing their special gift wrap – one that holds a holiday bundle of joy. For more than three quarters of a Century, newborn babies at Redlands Community Hospital have headed home in the holiday stockings, a tradition now kept alive by members of a community sewing coalition.

"This is a true labor of love given by all the volunteers at the Redlands Sewing Center," said Pam Erickson, Director of Maternal Child Services at the hospital. "We are so grateful to them for helping us keep such a great tradition alive. The staff loves to present the parents with the stocking, and the parents are always extremely excited about the gift."

The tradition of the holiday stockings began in 1930 by the Linen Committee at the hospital, which was comprised of hospital auxiliary volunteers. They would primarily oversee that the hospital’s sheets, towels and pillowcases were laundered and mended. By the 1960s, the Linen Committee transformed into a sewing committee that, among their mass production of stockings, also made "Pinky" hand puppet dolls which were distributed to children residing in the Pediatrics Department.

Over the years, the holiday stockings continued to delight families, but as the sewing group began to see a decline in membership, they could no longer continue the tradition. In 2003, the Maternal Child department of the hospital took on the task, but it soon became difficult for staff to continue. In 2005, Hospital Auxiliary Volunteer Sylvia Terifay thought of the idea to ask Redlands Sewing Center for assistance.

"It seemed logical to utilize people in the community who like to sew," said Sylvia. "We hoped that Redlands Sewing Center would come through to keep the tradition alive." Redlands Sewing Center enlisted members of their sewing groups and outside sewing enthusiasts for help. The group agreed to continue the tradition, and December 2006 became the second holiday season during which baby stockings were sewn by the Sewing Center volunteers.

The stockings will continue to be given to newborn babies throughout December.

Back row: Chris Sanhoff, Tyleen Paige, Nancy DiLeva
Front row: Fay Johnson, Sharon Blackburn, Laura Dileva, Kathy Lee
(Kathy Lee organized the volunteers)

New mother Lisanna Pasaribu prepares to take her newborn son home in the holiday stocking.