Filling the hearts of countless children with Christmas joy was the purpose behind a Wodonga church's service on Sunday, December 3.
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Hundreds of children who might otherwise have nothing to open on Christmas morning will unwrap something special this year thanks to the generosity of New Life Chapel.
Organiser Trudi Singh said about 800 gifts were given at the service to be distributed to Border welfare agencies before Christmas Day.
Mrs Singh said if the church could make a difference to a child's life then "the spirit of Christmas is still alive".
"Christmas is a wonderful time to engage with other families and individuals and spread a bit of cheer to people," she said.
"And it's just a great time to be generous and share love with our community."
Ms Singh said the gift giving service was something the congregation looked forward to each year.
"All the children of the families had the chance to come up on stage and give the gift and it was wonderful to see," she said.
"It's been fantastic and we've all had a role to play. And it's a great sense of accomplishment.
"A lot of people have donated not just in our church but the community too and it's been greatly greatly appreciated."
Mrs Singh said the gift giving service was so much more than just presents; it was about the community coming together in a practical way and sharing the message of generosity during Christmas.
To ind out more information about the charities involved check out newlifechapel.org.au/give-a-gift.
