Christmas is the time for giving, and an Auckland man is doing just that.
Every year Campbell Such saves up to buy presents for children who otherwise wouldn't have anything to unwrap on Christmas morning.
Mr Such doesn't look like a typical Father Christmas; there's no white beard, big belly or red suit. But like Santa he's in the jolly business of giving presents to little boys and girls.
Inspired by his own memories of Christmas as a boy, Mr Such wanted other children to be able to celebrate the day.
"One of the things I really like is the fact that I feel like I've made a difference, and that there's a bunch of kids out there who will get to unwrap a present who never would have otherwise and get to experience the magic of Christmas," he says.
It's magic that's greatly received. Plunket says the number of families struggling to make ends meet, let alone mark Christmas Day, is growing.
"There are some families where parents are going without food so their kids can actually eat, and it's those families who we're trying to share a little bit of Christmas spirit with what Campbell's doing," says Plunket Waitemata area manager Caro Watts.
Unlike Santa, Mr Such doesn't have an endless supply of goodies. He and his wife put aside a $100 each week for the project.
Every present is carefully handpicked, and as a father and grandfather Mr Such knows a good wish list from a bad one.
"Something that when you opened it, we thought you'd go, 'Wow that's really cool,' instead of something that you didn't really want," he says.
Each gift is wrapped before being loaded into Santa sacks and onto his sleigh.
More than 200 west Auckland children and their families are on Mr Such's Christmas list.
Mr Such is now hoping his own Christmas wish will come true. He wants help in spreading the Christmas cheer to more Plunket children next year.
Newshub.
