Firefighters Embody Spirit of Christmas Season

CATHEDRAL CITY – The true spirit of the Christmas season – giving, sharing, loving, and caring – is personified in the hands and hearts of Cathedral City fighters/paramedics.

Their generosity of time and talent was on display in a front yard on Candy Cane lane where they decorated the house of an 85-year-old woman who is no longer able to do it herself.

At 9 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, 10 firefighters, all members of the Cathedral City Firefighters Association and Fire Chief Paul S. Wilson, rolled up to 68815 Minerva Road to create Christmas magic. Their hustle and bustle attracted the attention of at least four neighbors who also lent a hand.

“It was such a wonderful experience,” Constance Carr, told Uken Report. “(Mom) hasn’t been feeling well. It was a spiritual experience. It really restored my faith in humanity.”

Jeremy Keenan was the mastermind behind the spontaneous act of kindness. He first met the resident, Aliene Carr, affectionately referred to as Grandma Al, assisting her during a professional call for service. The two bonded immediately. Keenan learned during their conversation that she was one of the original founders and creators of Candy Cane Lane in 1987.

Keenan’s wheels of creativity started churning.

He went back to visit her in recovery to propose an idea for the Christmas season.

“We were reluctant at first, Constance Carr, told Uken Report. “We didn’t quite believe it. The elderly are so vulnerable.”

After thoroughly vetting the plan, the mother-daughter duo agreed to allow the firefighters to decorate her house with lights and her lawn with inflatables.

“My favorite is Santa in the outhouse,” Grandma Al said with a chuckle. “Nowadays, you have to explain what an outhouse is to some of the younger people.”

She chuckled, again.

The elderly Carr was in the hospital last year and could not decorate. She knew it would be impossible this year.

The firefighters’ kindness left the elder Carr in tears.

“I do get emotional,” Grandma Al said, choking back tears. “Everyone has been so wonderful and so nice. What they did brought out all the neighbors.”

“It was almost unbelievable,” Constance Carr chimed in. “When seniors get up there in age, most people don’t care. Jeremy is a very giving guy.”

Ever humble, Keenan said decorating Carr’s house was not the act of one firefighter.

“It was a group effort by the department to try to make something happen for her,” Keenan said. “After seeing the emotion and Grandma Al, it made us feel great to help someone that started such a fantastic tradition for the Valley.”

Lowe’s donated some items to help with the effort, Keenan said.

As a nod to the firefighters, Constance Carr said she and her mother ordered Firehouse Subs for the crew who worked several hours on the Christmas season display.

“It looks like a Wonderland of candy canes,” Constance said. “After all the work they did, they still came back later to make sure everything was tied down. They were just incredible.”

The firefighters left Carr a trademark signature: an inflatable firetruck.

The true spirit of the Christmas season – giving, sharing, loving, and caring – was indeed personified in the hands and hearts of Cathedral City fighters/paramedics.