Normally when people see Christmas decorations any time before the fist of December, a lot of eye-rolling ensues. No one wants to think about buying presents when they've barely got their Halloween costumes put together!
But hold the eye-rolling for just a moment, especially when you see why one family already has their tree up.
In St. George, Ontario, seven-year-old Evan Leversage celebrated Christmas last Saturday, complete with tree, presents, and even some synthetic snow.
Why? Because Evan has an inoperable brain tumor, and his family and doctors fear he may not make it until late December.
So Evan made a list of all the things he wanted to do, and his whole town came together to make him smile.
They rallied to help him achieve those goals, which included a visit to Niagara Falls, a movie, and a dinner at his favorite restaurant. So no eye-rolling — although you might need to dab away some tears.
(h/t: Huffington Post Canada)
When 7-year-old Evan Leversage woke up last week, he was greeted by a yard filled with snow and Christmas decor — but considering it was mid-October, this was certainly a surprise.
But all around town, local businesses, organizations, and residents were wishing Evan a Merry Christmas. The reason?
Little Evan was recently diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, and doctors suspect he might not make it through the end of this year.
One of Evan's final wishes? To see one more Christmas. So his mom, Nicole, asked her community to help celebrate Christmas in October.
Not only did they all agree, but the whole town turned out — and now, Evan's story has spread across the globe!
"It's been an experience that I don't think anyone's ever going to forget,'' Nicole said. "It truly has been amazing having the love and support from this community as well as world-wide. It truly has been lifting up a lot of spirits and bringing in a lot of sunshine during a dark time.''
Their town of St. George spared no detail when it came to celebrating an early Christmas for Evan.
Evan even received an honorary uniform from his county's fire department.
They threw a parade, too.
The streets were filled with cheer, despite it being the month of October.
Christmas greetings poured in from just about everywhere. It's estimated that about 7,000 people turned out for Evan's Christmas celebration, and that was just in St. George!
All over town, windows and lawns were lit up with glowing support.
Every corner of the town wished Evan and his family the very best.
"This is definitely magical, but also overwhelming on the same note,'' Nicole said.
The evening was capped off with a visit from Santa himself, and Evan got to ride in his sleigh.
They're not kidding when they say St. George is "The Friendly Village!"
Watch this heartwarming video and see some footage of the festivities.
People used the Twitter hastag #lightsonforevan to wish this little boy well, and have also been donating to the family's GoFundMe page, which has already far surpassed its goal.
The funding will help the family with living expenses and provide educational funding for Evan's two brothers.
The celebrations may be over for now, but this story shows what amazing things can happen when a community comes together. Inspire some other communities by SHARING.
