As the distant thud of Russian glide bombs provides a grim soundtrack, Calgarians Paul Hughes and his son Mac are preparing to spend their fourth consecutive Christmas in Ukraine. Their mission: to spread moments of peace and goodwill among children whose homes and childhoods have been shattered by war.
A Calgary Santa in a War Zone
The Hughes family's home base is in Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, where Russian troops remain positioned a mere 30 kilometres away. Paul Hughes, 61, whose full white beard lends him a Santa Claus appearance, finds purpose in the joy they bring. "The kids are really happy, that's a little bit of nitro in the system," he said. He often feels he and his team gain more from the experience than the children do, many of whom have "lost almost everything."
Their work is conducted under the banner of the Calgary-based charity Help Ukraine Grassroots Support (H.U.G.S.). A recent video tour revealed a workshop overflowing with donated toys destined for children internally displaced by the conflict. The gifts, including plush toys from the U.K. and warm clothing from numerous other nations, are stacked in a room decorated with the flags of countries supporting Ukraine. A pennant from Hughes's former unit, the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, also hangs proudly. The space is overseen by a resident feline named ShopCat 3.0 and warmed by a wood-burning stove.
Healing Through Play, Not War
A strict rule governs the assembly of shoebox presents for the 1,000 children on their list: no toys of war. "There's no toy guns, we try to stay away from that," Hughes explained. "You don't have to be a psychiatrist to know these kids have seen a lot of terrible things."
These children are among the approximately 300,000 war-displaced people who have crowded into Kharkiv. The city, normally similar in size to Calgary, has seen its population swell with those fleeing heavier fighting in the east. The conflict's longevity is staggering; by mid-January, the full-scale Russian invasion will have lasted as long as the Soviet-German conflict of the Second World War. By late February, it will reach the four-year mark.
The Personal Toll of a Long War
The protracted reality of the war has worn heavily on all those impacted, including the Hughes family. The danger became devastatingly personal earlier this year when Paul's 23-year-old son Mac was critically injured by a Russian drone strike. Mac was serving alongside Ukrainian troops on the southern sector of the eastern front at the time.
Despite the trauma and the ever-present risk, their commitment endures. As they brace for another holiday season marked by conflict rather than comfort, their focus remains on delivering simple gifts and a message of solidarity from Calgary to Kharkiv, proving that even in the rubble, hope can be a powerful act of defiance.
