The mayor of Calumet City dressed up as Santa Claus rolled up on a quiet residential block, sleigh and all, with an army of elves on hand to deliver to what appeared to be several Christmases' worth of gifts to Lois Thomas' six grandchildren.
"Growing up, we had 13 people in our family at one time. And this family reminds me so much of my mother that we had to come in and help," said Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones.
It has been several years since Thomas took responsibility for her children's children. This last year in particular, with all of them sharing her and her husband's small home, has not been easy.
Driving up to find the outside of the house fully decorated brought tears to her eyes. Seeing her entire living room taken over by gifts was another thing altogether.
"I do what I do for these kids just because I want them to have the life and be loved like I was raised by my mom and my dad," Thomas said.
Decked out in their Christmas sweaters, the kids did not waste any time before picking out a toy or two or three to play with. The Jenga and the Barbie dollhouses were instant hits with two of the girls.
"I'm glad that there's two, because we always sometimes argue over the toys, because she does not like to share," said 7-year-old Nova Bailey.
The eldest, 11-year-old Noah Sanders, displayed a wisdom beyond his years.
"There's a lot more people in the world that could have got this. But it was us, and I'm grateful for that," he said.
"I just do whatever I can to make them happy. I do everything I can to make them happy," Thomas said. "They don't call me 'Granny.' They don't call me 'Nana.' They call me 'Ma.'"
And while this is by far the biggest single surprise that Calumet City officials have carried out so far this season, it is far from being the only one, with more giveaways planned from now until Christmas Day.