ELSAH - Elsah resident Jeannie Hill and her family definitely believe in Christmas miracles.
The Hill family was being honored with a Christmas wish being granted from iHeart Radio and KLOU recently. The family’s children attend school in the Jersey School District.
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Jeannie penned a letter to the nationwide contest that involved Christmas wishes being granted and out of thousands of entries, hers was selected. Hill waited as long as she could, but she finally had to break the great news to her children.
She said their initial reaction was one of surprise and joy.
“They granted my son’s wish for a family vacation,” she said. “They gave us $3,000 to plan one. A nationwide contest was put on by iHeart Radio and many of the wishes were not huge things.
“I heard them paying for things like someone’s orthodontic bill, or somebody to see mom for Christmas with plane tickets and more. I know $3,000 isn’t going to pay for everything on a family vacation," she said. "We are going to save the rest and plan to go next summer.”
Many take going on vacation for granted, but the Hill family has never taken a vacation because of the expense.
“I am a mom and I usually don’t ask for a lot at Christmas,” Hill said. “Absolutely knowing my kids will have a great experience and make memories forever, as mom I can’t express how happy that makes me. My kids mean everything to me and I want them to have one time they can go on vacation and have memories that will last a lifetime.”
Hill said they are in the planning stages for the vacation right now. Asked where they were thinking about going, they said possibly Destin, Fla., or Myrtle Beach, S.C.
“We are also thinking about taking a cruise,” she said. “We are trying to make it a family choice, so everybody gets a say.”
Hill’s daughter suggested that the family purchase an angel ornament for their tree.
“We truly believe we had our guardian angel looking out for us this year,” she said.
