Man Finds Christmas List Tied To A Balloon — Drives For Hours To Make Dream A Reality For Twin Sisters

May 11, 2021 by apost team

Twin girls, Luna and Gianella Gonzalez made a wish to Santa Claus and hoped and dreamed that he would receive it. Luckily for them, the letter containing their Christmas wish list arrived significantly more south than intended –– right at the feet of Alvin Bamburg from Shreveport, Louisiana. Bamburg found the list when he was out hunting and knew he had to do something to find the girls it belonged to. 

The girls’ mother, Leticia Gonzalez, had her daughters write letters to Santa around the Christmas season, 2020 as a way to brighten up their challenging year. She then tied the letters to red balloons and the girls sent them off to find the north pole. One of those balloons traveled 650 miles, from Kansas, where the girls live, to Louisiana which is two states away.  

On the list were candy, a Spider-Man ball, a “Frozen” doll, My Little Pony and a puppy. After seeing the letter to Santa, Bamburg went onto his Facebook page and posted a picture of the list and a caption asking for help tracking down the family. The post was shared many times and eventually, the girls’ mother was found. 

At first, Bamburg just sent the girls gifts through the mail, but there was one special present that couldn’t be delivered that way. So Bamburg and his wife drove six hours to Liberal, Kansas and brought the twins an adorable dachshund puppy named Max. This happened in April of 2021, several months after Christmas, so the girls were not expecting the surprise and were completely thrilled. 

Leticia spoke with Good Morning America about her idea to have the girls send off their letters to Santa by balloon. "It was something different for the girls -- a memory they could keep after a rough 2020. It was just so cold and windy. I didn't expect them to go that far," she said. The idea is a clever way to keep the magic of Christmas alive, and like sending a message off in a bottle, you never know where it might turn up.

"The moment I released the balloons — the girls released the balloons — it never crossed my mind that somebody would find it. My intentions were not for somebody to find it," Leticia told FOX News. The entire situation is extremely fortunate, especially considering how many balloons must be sent out by children and are never recovered. 

The other fortunate part is that it was Bamburg who found the letter. He said that after he read the list he had a gut feeling that he needed to do something about it, so he took to Facebook. "The outpouring was unreal. People sent gifts and donated money. We shipped five boxes of gifts and toys to them. One thing was missing... the puppy,” he told Fox. 

He continued on, telling the story of when the girls first saw their new puppy, Max. “When I got out of the car that puppy was hiding under my jacket, everyone had water in their eyes," Bamburg recalled. "We now have a new family in Kansas. This family is a special family." Bamburg and his wife sure have big hearts to go to such lengths for virtual strangers. 

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The girls’ mother shared with FOX News what Bamburg’s actions have meant to her family. "My girls, every day they wake up, and they pick up a toy — just a random toy — and they know it’s a gift that they got from Alvin and his friends. And they’ll right away tell me, ‘Oh, I got this from Alvin. I got this from Alvin,’" Leticia said. "The happiness that it’s brought to them, there’s no price to that." Kindness and compassion are truly priceless gifts. 

Leticia was in awe of the kindness Bamburg showed her daughters. "It was just a once-in-a-lifetime thing that I wanted to do with the girls, the amount of gifts or even the price of the gifts — it’s not the meaning of this. The meaning is that any stranger can be courteous and kind even just with a smile to somebody else and make their day,” she told Fox. The joy that Bamburg brought to this family is heartwarming to witness. 

Bamburg didn’t expect any recognition for his actions, he just wanted to see the girls smile. "I hope that people realize that no matter how small an act of kindness you do for someone else they will appreciate it and you will be blessed. I hope more people will pay it forward,” he said to the news outlet. Hopefully, many people will follow his example. 

At the end of his interview with Good Morning America, Bamburg left viewers with this touching message: "If you can make one person smile -- trust me not only will it help them, it will make you feel so much better."

Were you touched by the kindness of Bamburg’s actions? Did you ever send out letters attached to balloons or messages in bottles as a child? Let us know what you think, and be sure to pass this on to your loved ones.