The holidays are undoubtedly a joyous occasion in the Caribbean, with jingle bells and all-around cheer echoing throughout the air.

This year, the Sandals Foundation made it even more memorable for children across Antigua with a little help from Santa and his elves hand-delivering over 1000 assortment of toys and games.

The beaming faces and smiles of wide-eyed children at the Mount Saint John’s Medical Center, Villa, Greenbay, Golden Grove, Buckley’s, Five Islands, J.T Ambrose, Parham and Charlesworth T. Samuel primary schools were only topped by the warm hugs that greeted the philanthropic organisation’s ambassadors from Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa as they served students in an day of sweet treats, games, and toys donated by American toy company, Hasbro.

According to Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of Sandals Foundation, the activities were designed to bring laughter, joy, and happiness to children throughout the region, making this time magical.

​”The holiday season is in full swing, and for us, it is a time of generosity, kindness, and love as we share joy and hope with the children we’ve worked with throughout the year”.

Clarke also added, “The sheer joy radiating from the volunteers as they distribute toys to the children, combined with the warm embrace they receive from that overjoyed child, is priceless “.

More than 14,000 fun and educational toys and games are being distributed to children ages 3 to 13+ right across the Caribbean, with the customary high-energy celebration that has been known to characterize the Sandals Foundation team and its incredible partners.

“Being able to see the smiles on the faces of children within the local communities was the highlight of this entire experience. It is Christmas and the excitement of children receiving gifts compliments of the Sandals Foundation is truly a satisfying and heart-warming experience for our members who assisted in spreading Christmas cheer for the holidays,” said Junior Chamber International Antigua President Shenique Barry – one of the local NGO’s that benefited from this initiative.

The Sandals Foundation’s annual Christmas toy distribution has become a tradition for children in Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Grenada, and Barbados. This year, the joy was also spread to the resort’s newest island home of Curacao