‘Take what you want. Leave what you can.’ Tacoma man’s ‘Giving Tree’ creates Christmas magic
Mark Sikas doesn’t have a Christmas tree in his house.
Instead, outside his North Proctor home, he has what he calls the “Giving Tree.”
The tree is a flowering cherry, but it works as well as an evergreen, Sikas says.
For roughly the last 25 years, Sikas has lived in Tacoma’s North End. For the last six or seven, he explains, he’s decorated the flowering cherry tree along North Proctor for the holiday season.
“It’s really my Christmas tree,” he says.
There’s more than ornaments on the tree, however, and that part’s become something of a neighborhood tradition.
Every year, Sikas adorns his giving tree with gifts in small plastic bags — like toys for children, crayons, knit hats and gloves or small personal-care items — intended for anyone who might need them.
A small red-and-green sign below the tree says it all:
“Take what you want. Leave what you can.”
Based on the reaction, the need is real.
Sikas annually puts out 75 small gifts or so, purchased and collected throughout the year.
They move quickly, he says.
“I like the idea of giving things away. It’s like the old cliche: ‘It’s better to give than receive,’” Sikas explains. “It’s just a good idea this time of year. A lot of people need small gifts, perhaps for small children, who can’t afford it. There’s a lot of desperation, and it’s not the best time of year for a lot of people.”
“At 72, I certainly don’t need very much,” the retired registered nurse adds.
In a world that often feels dominated by bad news and reason for worry, Sikas’ small gesture provides proof of the good that remains in our communities and in our neighbors.
While the gifts Sikas personally hangs are commendable enough, the real Christmas magic occurs when others get in the spirit, he believes.
After years spent cultivating the tradition, Sikas says his contributions to the tree are now just the start.
While Sikas continues to put out about 75 gifts throughout December, his neighbors and passersby now contribute “probably five times that amount,” he says.
He estimates that each year “400 to 500 items change hands” right outside his home.
“There are 20 hooks on the tree. I’ll go out and add to it in the morning, and by noon it’s half empty,” Sikas says. “And I always see something new on it.”
As much as anything, that’s the point, Sikas says.
He recalls reading about a similar effort, somewhere on the East Coast, many years ago. Sikas thought it would be worth a shot in his neighborhood, too.
He hoped his giving tree would bring people together and bring out the best in them.
It’s done just that.
“So many people have stopped, and not only removed gifts, but put up twice as much as I’ve ever put up,” Sikas says.
Asked about what he hopes people will take from the giving tree, beyond the gifts, Sikas has a ready answer.
He eagerly encourages others to get in on the Santa act and create a giving tree in their own neighborhood.
“I think it brings people together in a time when they need some goodness,” Sikas says.
“It’s a season that should have some magic in it.”
This story was originally published December 25, 2019 at 6:15 AM.
