OakLuv’s Knucklehead Santa and elves deliver gifts to an Oakland classroom. The local non-profit has distributed tens of thousands of toys over the past 15 years.
As far as origin stories go, OakLuv’s is epic.
On Christmas Eve, 2009, in a humble Lamorinda family room, the legend of Knucklehead Santa and Chaz the Elf was born.
Alex Cox and Alan Smith, best buddies since playing high school baseball together in Oakland, didn’t have any grand plan other than spontaneously deciding to don silly costumes and hand out a few trinkets to kids in their old neighborhood.
Little did they know a joy ride to deliver hastily gathered toys and candy would grow into a movement that would impact thousands of kids, adults, veterans and domestic abuse survivors – all while spreading holiday happiness with their unique brand of free-spirited zeal.
“I had just gotten this 1963 Corvair Convertible and it had a pretty good sound system. Alex is a great break dancer and we just wanted to go out and have some fun,” said Orinda resident Smith (aka Chaz).
“We thought we would get dressed up in these cheap Santa and elf suits and load up the car with some candy canes, books and toys from Walgreens and the 99-cent store,” said Cox (aka Knucklehead).
Their first stop was Cox’s childhood home. The woman who answered the door, cracked it open, “saw two really funny-looking white dudes and asked, ‘Who are you? What do you want?’” said Cox.
When he told her he used to live there and he came bearing gifts, she didn’t believe him.
Then he said, “Is that bullet hole over the window still there? I was 10, sitting in the living room when that bullet popped in. And she was like, ‘Oh, wow! This person is telling the truth.’”
She invited the two in for cookies and then escorted them around the block, introducing them to neighbors.
“We turned up the music a couple of notches, and we started dancing in the streets. High-fiving, handing out toys and candy canes. I vividly remember one woman asking if she could get a picture because her son had never had a picture with Santa in his life,” said Cox. “So it turned out to be a spur-of-the-moment photo session like at the mall, as people lined up to take pictures with Knucklehead Santa.”
OakLuv, the 501c3 non-profit founded by Cox and Smith following their fateful holiday visit, is now over a decade old. The non-profit has given out tens of thousands of toys to children at Christmastime, donated laptops and supplies to classrooms, delivered an SUV to a single mom of three and lavished vast amounts of holiday spirit on countless families, youth and communities in under-resourced areas throughout Oakland.
That first Christmas Eve experience was “stumbling into the joy of giving,” said Smith. The pair described “the sense of selfless giving” as almost like a drug. It changed their lives.
“We were pumped. The twinkle in the children’s eyes. We could sense the pain in some of the moms who were like, ‘Hey, I don’t know who you are or where you came from, but when I woke up this morning I didn’t know what I was gonna do. It’s Christmas Eve. And basically, you just showered my kids with gifts and made our Christmas.’ It was so exciting and we decided that we would do it again the next year, only bigger,” said Cox.
Smith videotaped the whole thing and posted it on Facebook. The vibe and joy of the day went viral. By the next Christmas, the Lamorinda community, including Smith’s friends from Sleepy Hollow School and Oak Springs Pool, enthusiastically contributed money, gifts and volunteered to deliver toys.
Smith and Cox partnered with the Oakland community, including school administrators, church leaders, social agencies, small business owners and the Oakland police and fire departments. Even the local motorcycle gangs took notice, offering protection and flanking the motorcade of cars delivering toys each year.
Oakland resident Shirley Block first came into contact with OakLuv years ago when she worked at Youth Uprising, an organization serving young people in Oakland. “I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life,” she said. “It was like the Christmas shows you see on TV. When the kids saw the fire engine and Santa and the elves passing out toys, they went crazy. It was beautiful.
“OakLuv is the real thing. Their heart is in it, talking to the kids and letting them know they care about them. Whatever the kids ask for, they get. They go above and beyond. OakLuv is a blessing to the community. Alex puts it all into (playing) Knucklehead Santa. He is a piece of gold.”
This year, in addition to holding their annual Posada – a free event with music, games, food and toy giveaways – OakLuv is honoring mothers, grandmothers and other matriarchs in the community.
”Matriarchs are lifelines for families and make societies stronger. However, they don’t always get the support they need. This is why we are awarding five matriarchs in our community with a grant of $3,000 to help bring them, and their families, joy during the holiday seasons,” according to the OakLuv website.
“We want to do something big to fundamentally change this holiday season for some deserving matriarchs,” said Cox.
Smith, an attorney, and Cox, a “tech sales guy” have come a long way since their Oakland childhoods. Both are successful professionals now, but they never want to forget their origins. “I feel so lucky. Sometimes I wonder how I got to where I find myself today,” said Cox.
“Our life is so good now that we can have a false sense of reality of what the world is like. I try to stay true to my roots,” said Cox, the father of three. “OakLuv has been a way to give back and also to show my family how lucky and privileged we are. Dancing, celebrating life, and focusing on the true spirit of the holidays – selflessly helping others and giving back.”
Visit OakLuv.com for more information.
Knucklehead Santa, Chaz, volunteer elves and community members spread holiday cheer to kids and families in underserved Oakland neighborhoods as part of OakLuv Foundation’s mission.
