Real-Life Secret Santa Brings Christmas Cheer To LI Family

AMITYVILLE, NY — An Amityville family got a special Christmas surprise from a real-life "Secret Santa" this past holiday.

Just before Christmas, 4-year-old Andrew Maximiliano Rodriguez lost his letter to Santa with his wish list while riding his bicycle. Little did he know, the letter would end up in the hands of a good samaritan who would bring the family a Christmas miracle.

His mother, Melissa Tagarelli, told Patch that the two woke up Christmas morning and found a package at their front door addressed to Andrew with a return address to the North Pole.

When they opened the package — to their delight — they found that inside were toys and a note from Santa Claus wishing Rodriguez a Merry Christmas.

There was also a note addressed to his parents from a Mr. "Rob Q." who wrote that he had found the letter and decided to mail Rodriguez some of the items from his list to spread a little Christmas cheer.

"We were so surprised and extremely thankful to him for taking the time out to do something so special for our son," Tagarelli said. "We felt so grateful that this wonderful person took the time out to do something special for our son and for showing him how important it is to take care of one another especially in times like this. We are so happy that Andrew will be able to have an amazing memory to carry with him for the rest of his life."

After receiving the special gift, Tagarelli wanted to make it her mission to find a way to give back to their Secret Santa. While Rob did not leave his return address, he used stationery from St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, so the family decided to make a donation to the hospital in his name.

After sharing their story with others, the family raised over $150 in additional donations for the hospital.

"It was our way of saying thank you," Melissa said of the donation. "We wanted to find Rob Q because we wanted the opportunity to personally thank him for the kindness he has shown our son this Christmas and to tell him how much his gesture made an impact on our family. To be honest we were unsure if we were going to be able to find him."

Eventually, Rob was eventually able to find the family and knock on their door a couple of days after Christmas.

"My son had the opportunity to meet his secret Santa and hug him and personally thank him for showing kindness this holiday season," Tagarelli said. "It was a beautiful reunion and we are ecstatic that he was able to find us. Even though Andrew knows the toys came from Santa at the North Pole, he knows that his new friend Rob Q was the one who made it all happen and helped his gifts arrive just in time for Christmas!"

Tagarelli thanks Rob for making this "one of the best Christmases" the family ever had.

"He has inspired us to pay his act forward and continue to spread kindness any way we can," she said. "Thank you Rob and we’re so grateful to have been able to make a new friend in this awesome way."

Tagarelli also encourages those who want to donate to St. Jude’s hospital: stjude.org/donate/.