Christmas morning will be a special time for nearly 150 kids thanks, once again, to the efforts of the Eureka Springs community and the work of local high school students.

The annual Angel Tree project, in its 11th year organized by Eureka Springs High School counselor Rachal Hyatt, has once again has been a huge success and is providing gifts for 149 kids this holiday season.

Angel Tree tags were located at Arvest Bank, Hart’s Family Family Center, Equity Bank, CS Bank and Sunfest in recent weeks and it didn’t take long for those to be selected, Hyatt said.

“These are for local students that we serve, pre-K through 12th grade and their younger siblings in the home,” Hyatt said. “The students are income- qualified and anyone who receives free lunch in our district receives a form in October and they are welcome to return it to us if they want to participate in the program.” About half of the families contacted participate in the program each year, Hyatt said.

“All the tags, all 149 of them, were taken this year,” she said.

The tags included requested gift items, including clothing and toys. Those who selected kids to purchase gifts for were asked to bring their unwrapped presents to the high school by Tuesday, Dec. 5. From there, students with the ESHS National Honor Society have been wrapping the gifts, which will be distributed to families Dec. 13 and 14, Hyatt said.

“From now through the 13th, our National Honor Society students take everything for all 149 kids and they wrap it,” she said. “We have a couple of rooms down the hall and it’s kind of a Santa’s workshop in there, a wrapping party there, which is kind of cool because we have about 40 kids and they get to see everything that comes in. They don’t know who the gift is for, but they know it’s for kids in our district and they get to see that there are kids just like them that are in need and they know that they’re helping their classmate.

“They’re doing something to pay it forward. It’s fun to listen to them go, ‘oh my gosh, this is so cute.’ ” The students who are helping could be wrapping their own gift, or one for someone in the room, Hyatt said.

“They have no idea who it’s going to,” she said. “Sometimes it may be going to somebody right next to them and they just have no idea.”

When Hyatt first got involved with the Angel Tree project she was a counselor at Eureka Springs Elementary School and members of the community would spearhead wrapping the gifts, she said, adding that having it a student-led part of the project now just adds to the significance of the program.

“I think the best part is having the students participate,” Hyatt said. “When first started doing it we housed everything at the police department and had community members come in and they would help wrap and we had a great time doing it. The community participating is always amazing and we always get everything filled because being in Eureka is just wonderful in its own right because people are amazing.

“But, when we moved to the high school and we had the students participate as well, it was just a whole new dynamic because they got to see how they could make an impact for kids their own age. That just added a whole other layer of what the season is all about. Some of the students know they’re actually on the Angel Tree and that’s super important because they know they’re paying it forward to students that need the help as well.”

Some families have participated in the program for many years while others may just find themselves in hard times this season, Hyatt said.

“Some may have just stumbled upon a rough time and they just need it for this year,” she said. “And that’s exactly what it’s for. One of the cool things is I’ve had students in the past that were on the tree and here we are 10 years later and they’re pulling tags and returning gifts to the high school. It’s kind of full circle.”

All while providing important life lessons for all who are involved in the project, Hyatt said.

“Reading and math and science are all so important and much needed things in school,” she said. “But for the kids to know they’re here for each other, for other things, is huge, I think.”