Calgary - Tiny faces lit up Calgary last week as Santa's helpers delivered truckloads of gifts to families, selected by The Salvation Army, in need of Christmas cheer.

It was a similar scene at 200 homes across the city as Sun and UPS Canada Ltd. volunteers trucked boxes of goodies to the less fortunate.

At one home, a mother clutching her 18-month-old daughter watched in amazement as boxes of wrapped gifts were dropped off at her door.

Inside, the family's sparse one-bedroom basement suite in the northeast tells of their struggle to make ends meet.

Apart from two worn couches, an aging crib, a modest kitchen table and rundown appliances, their home is empty.

The parents didn't have a bed until recently, when a queen-size mattress and base was given to them by a generous stranger wh stepped up to fulfil their Christmas wishlist through The Calargy Sun's 24th annual Adopt-a-Family program.

"This is a dream for me," said the mother, tears welling in her eyes.