Just two weeks before his mother suddenly died, a devoted son was able to surprise his Christmas-obsessed mom with a giant handmade sleigh.
51-year-old Jeffrey Michaels secretly constructed the massive carriage as a birthday surprise for his 80-year-old mother Rita Ruffner back in October.
Ruffner, a grandmother-of-ten in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, adored Christmas so much, she decorated her home with festive ornaments all year round.
“Christmas was her best holiday. It was an all-year-round thing for her,” recalled Michaels. “She kept up her holiday decorations and listened to Christmas music all-year-round. She watched Christmas movies no matter the season.”
Michaels—a former Hollywood set designer who now lives in Nevada—flew home from Las Vegas and snuck into her garage to build the holiday structure before she had any idea that he was even in town.
“She always wanted a big Santa Claus sleigh in her yard. This year I finally decided to go ahead and build one for her,” said Michaels.
“She had no idea I was even in town. I was staying at my sister’s house and working in my mother’s garage. It was a real labour of love.”
Michaels cut the 8-by-4-foot structure out of birch wood before painting it red and gold. The two-person sleigh, which only cost him about $300 in materials, is also pulled by a prancing grey horse.
Michaels says that while reindeers pull Santa’s sleigh at Christmas, he surmises that horses take over the task for the rest of the year.
After Michaels finished the sleigh, Ruffner’s family threw her a surprise party for her 80th birthday—and he was finally able to unveil the sleigh in her front yard.
“I put it in the front yard for her and told her to come outside. She was shocked and ecstatic,” says Michaels. “She was so proud of it—she called everyone to tell them about her sleigh.”
Sadly, just a fortnight after her son unveiled the surprise gift, Ruffner passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack.
After his mother’s death, Michaels says the sleigh has become even more important to the family.
“Something special happened with the sleigh itself after we lost my mother,” said the Las Vegas musician. “It has taken on its own identity. It is still sitting in the front yard of the house and people come by to have their pictures taken with it.
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“One of the things my mother wanted was for families to take pictures in the sleigh,” he added.
Michaels believed that he was meant to make the sleigh just before she passed away. Though she had been talking about a sleigh for the past few years, this year he finally had the time to build it.
“I’m so glad she saw it before she was gone.”
Michaels now hopes that people who see Ruffner’s sleigh will consider making a donation to the American Heart Association in her name.
“It’s about Rita’s love of Christmas and the spirit of giving.”
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