Christmas is coming.

On Saturday, Christmas Care will begin distribution of holiday hampers and presents for the kids to families in St. Thomas and the surrounding area.

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It’s the start of the end of the organization’s 2026 campaign – its 46th year of making sure no one goes without during the festive time of year.

After five weeks of registering recipients, collecting and sorting donations of food, toys and money, and packing hampers, the effort of Christmas Care volunteers was evident midweek in the auditorium of the St. Thomas Elgin Memorial Centre, where it is based. (Elgin Centre also donates space at the mall.)

“We’ve made up 1,650 hampers this year,” said Richard Auckland, Christmas Care president, as he surveyed a veritable wall of packed cardboard boxes.

“W

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