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Bruners: Santa's helpers for 52 years
  
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By RUSTY GRAHAM
Ethicists call it the law of reciprocity.
It’s found throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments — Matthew 7:12, or what’s known as The Golden Rule; or Leviticus 19:18, where God says that one should love thy neighbor as thyself. Religions around the world preach and practice the principle. It’s a universal karma kind of thing — you get what you put in; you reap what you sow.
Or as George Bruner puts it : “The giver always gets the blessing.”
Bruner should know. For 52 years, he and his wife, Novice, longtime Memorial Bend residents, have collected and distributed Christmas gifts for the less fortunate, and they’re at it again this year.
The Bruners collect gifts and donations year-round, then set up an “assembly line” on a night near Christmas Eve where gifts are matched with recipients, wrapped and personalized with a name tag.
Each gift is hand-picked to be age and gender appropriate for its recipient. And each recipient gets more than one hand-picked gift with his or her name on it. That’s the way Santa Claus — and George Bruner — want it.
Bruner is one of Santa’s biggest helpers, even getting to dress as the large jolly one during the Christmas Eve deliveries.
The gifts are always delivered on Christmas Eve.
Even when George, 80, was running his amusement vending business and didn’t finish work until late, the gifts were still delivered. On Christmas Eve.
But the Bruners have always had help, from people who volunteered to help, to some who had to be coaxed (or coerced), to youngsters who do it with spirit.
“I’ve seen many lives changed, and I mean the grown-ups who help us out,” Bruner said.
He tells the story of a woman from San Antonio, the daughter of a man who willingly helped the Bruners for several years. The daughter didn’t understand why her father would give up Christmas Eve to to spend time with people he didn’t know.
The daughter tagged along on the deliveries, and at one house the group encountered some “big guys behind a big fence” who were, well, skeptical.
“We started asking about the kids, then handing out presents,” said Bruner, who then asked the men about their mother.
Bruner went around to the back door, met the mother and gave her some groceries.
“She said ‘Oh, I didn’t think we’d have anything to eat for Christmas’,” said Bruner. “I looked around and the daughter had seen all that. Changed her forever.”
The Bruners own daughter, Kim Kelly, recalls that while growing up, the Bruner house would be full of toys during the Christmas season — but neither she nor her siblings could play with them.
“We’d be tripping over presents (in the house),” said Kelly. “We’d be asking ‘how do we get on that list?’”
Kelly tells the story of how one Christmas Eve during deliveries, members of the group somehow managed to lock themselves out of the delivery van — full of toys and with the engine running.
A man came out of a nearby bar — “he’d been celebrating Christmas, I guess,” said Kelly — saw what was going on and said “no problem.”
“He got us right in the van,” said Kelly. “That was some quick assistance. He broke in (the van) in no time.”
And that’s the kind of love the Bruners get back when they’re out in some of the rougher parts of town during deliveries.
“They could go into some tough areas of town (on deliveries),” said Alice Pullin, a longtime friend whose now-grown son helped the Bruners for many years.
“But with George in that Santa suit, the love would come out and everything was OK,” she said. “He was never intimidated.”
George himself said that he’s had “big burly men” give him bearhugs during deliveries.
The gift-giving started in the backwoods near Conroe in 1956, when George’s “cowboy” friend asked for some help taking presents to some needy families.
From there, the Bruners expanded to Houston’s east side, where George was good friends with R.C. Roebuck, the principal at Burnet Elementary School.
George asked Roebuck who the needy kids were and set out to collect and deliver those kids and families presents and food on Christmas Eve.
The Bruners now work through their church, Tallowood Baptist, where they’ve been member for more than 40 years. They also work through the West End Food Bank and other missions, and have worked with some schools in the Spring Branch school district.
While the Bruners try to help as many families as they can, there are limits. George said they provide for about 200 children from 45-50 families each year.
The Bruners are quick to acknowledge the help they’ve been given over the years. The Christmas Eve deliveries even went on in 2002 while George was fighting prostate cancer.
The Acteens, a Baptist group for teenage girls, for many years wrapped presents for the Bruners. The lady who ran the Acteens took it very seriously.
“She’d sometimes make the girls re-wrap a gift if she thought it wasn’t done right,” said Novice Bruner. “She’d say ‘You’re wrapping these for Jesus!’ The girls would do it right after that.”
Alice Pullin said that collecting and delivering the Christmas presents is a “way of life” for the Bruners.
“They’re doing it year-round,” she said. “They’re always looking for deals. And they will continue to do it until they die or just can’t do it anymore.”
The Bible says that there will always be needy people, says George, and those more fortunate should help those with less.
“The Lord and Santa Claus go along hand in hand,” he said.
How to help
Everything received goes to families in need. If you’d like to help, send donations to:
George Bruner
P.O. Box 79063
Houston, Texas 77279-9063
It’s found throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments — Matthew 7:12, or what’s known as The Golden Rule; or Leviticus 19:18, where God says that one should love thy neighbor as thyself. Religions around the world preach and practice the principle. It’s a universal karma kind of thing — you get what you put in; you reap what you sow.
Or as George Bruner puts it : “The giver always gets the blessing.”
Bruner should know. For 52 years, he and his wife, Novice, longtime Memorial Bend residents, have collected and distributed Christmas gifts for the less fortunate, and they’re at it again this year.
The Bruners collect gifts and donations year-round, then set up an “assembly line” on a night near Christmas Eve where gifts are matched with recipients, wrapped and personalized with a name tag.
Each gift is hand-picked to be age and gender appropriate for its recipient. And each recipient gets more than one hand-picked gift with his or her name on it. That’s the way Santa Claus — and George Bruner — want it.
Bruner is one of Santa’s biggest helpers, even getting to dress as the large jolly one during the Christmas Eve deliveries.
The gifts are always delivered on Christmas Eve.
Even when George, 80, was running his amusement vending business and didn’t finish work until late, the gifts were still delivered. On Christmas Eve.
But the Bruners have always had help, from people who volunteered to help, to some who had to be coaxed (or coerced), to youngsters who do it with spirit.
“I’ve seen many lives changed, and I mean the grown-ups who help us out,” Bruner said.
He tells the story of a woman from San Antonio, the daughter of a man who willingly helped the Bruners for several years. The daughter didn’t understand why her father would give up Christmas Eve to to spend time with people he didn’t know.
The daughter tagged along on the deliveries, and at one house the group encountered some “big guys behind a big fence” who were, well, skeptical.
“We started asking about the kids, then handing out presents,” said Bruner, who then asked the men about their mother.
Bruner went around to the back door, met the mother and gave her some groceries.
“She said ‘Oh, I didn’t think we’d have anything to eat for Christmas’,” said Bruner. “I looked around and the daughter had seen all that. Changed her forever.”
The Bruners own daughter, Kim Kelly, recalls that while growing up, the Bruner house would be full of toys during the Christmas season — but neither she nor her siblings could play with them.
“We’d be tripping over presents (in the house),” said Kelly. “We’d be asking ‘how do we get on that list?’”
Kelly tells the story of how one Christmas Eve during deliveries, members of the group somehow managed to lock themselves out of the delivery van — full of toys and with the engine running.
A man came out of a nearby bar — “he’d been celebrating Christmas, I guess,” said Kelly — saw what was going on and said “no problem.”
“He got us right in the van,” said Kelly. “That was some quick assistance. He broke in (the van) in no time.”
And that’s the kind of love the Bruners get back when they’re out in some of the rougher parts of town during deliveries.
“They could go into some tough areas of town (on deliveries),” said Alice Pullin, a longtime friend whose now-grown son helped the Bruners for many years.
“But with George in that Santa suit, the love would come out and everything was OK,” she said. “He was never intimidated.”
George himself said that he’s had “big burly men” give him bearhugs during deliveries.
The gift-giving started in the backwoods near Conroe in 1956, when George’s “cowboy” friend asked for some help taking presents to some needy families.
From there, the Bruners expanded to Houston’s east side, where George was good friends with R.C. Roebuck, the principal at Burnet Elementary School.
George asked Roebuck who the needy kids were and set out to collect and deliver those kids and families presents and food on Christmas Eve.
The Bruners now work through their church, Tallowood Baptist, where they’ve been member for more than 40 years. They also work through the West End Food Bank and other missions, and have worked with some schools in the Spring Branch school district.
While the Bruners try to help as many families as they can, there are limits. George said they provide for about 200 children from 45-50 families each year.
The Bruners are quick to acknowledge the help they’ve been given over the years. The Christmas Eve deliveries even went on in 2002 while George was fighting prostate cancer.
The Acteens, a Baptist group for teenage girls, for many years wrapped presents for the Bruners. The lady who ran the Acteens took it very seriously.
“She’d sometimes make the girls re-wrap a gift if she thought it wasn’t done right,” said Novice Bruner. “She’d say ‘You’re wrapping these for Jesus!’ The girls would do it right after that.”
Alice Pullin said that collecting and delivering the Christmas presents is a “way of life” for the Bruners.
“They’re doing it year-round,” she said. “They’re always looking for deals. And they will continue to do it until they die or just can’t do it anymore.”
The Bible says that there will always be needy people, says George, and those more fortunate should help those with less.
“The Lord and Santa Claus go along hand in hand,” he said.
How to help
Everything received goes to families in need. If you’d like to help, send donations to:
George Bruner
P.O. Box 79063
Houston, Texas 77279-9063
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