Most people know the game “Secret Santa,” where friends, family or co-workers exchange Christmas gifts in a context of secrecy. But in Kansas City, the real Secret Santa operated covertly from 1979 to 2006. And he had a lesson for us all.

Larry Stewart, born April 1, 1948, in Bruce, Miss., grew up poor. He had various jobs in his youth, but never had one stick. Though growing up with a solid work ethic, at the age of 23 Stewart, was an out-of-work salesman who was reduced to living out of his car.

One morning, after not having had a solid meal for a few days, Stewart was desperate for food. He walked into Dixie Diner in Houston, Mississippi, and ordered breakfast, knowing full well he didn’t have money to pay for it. He couldn’t help himself; he was so hungry.

As he wolfed down his breakfast, he wondered how he was going to pay for his meal, or what was going to happen to him. When the check came, he fumbled around in his pockets pretending to have lost his wallet. But the owner of the diner had already sized him up.

Owner Ted Horn came around the counter, approached Stewart, and bent down as if to pick up something. Horn then said, “Well, looks like you dropped this $20 bill.” Stewart now had enough to pay for breakfast and a little more to keep for the road.

Stewart never forgot that act of kindness. Even after years went by, the impact of that moment seemed to penetrate the soul of this young man more and more.

Then, just after he was fired from a job in 1979, while nursing his wounds at a drive-in restaurant during a very cold day, he noticed a carhop working the cars outside. He recalled, “It was cold and this carhop didn’t have on a very big jacket, and I thought to myself, ‘I think I got it bad. She’s out there in this cold making nickels and dimes.’” Remembering his experience at Dixie Diner and not dwelling on his circumstances, Stewart gave her $20 and told her to keep the change.

He recalled, “And suddenly I saw her lips begin to tremble and tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She said, ‘Sir, you have no idea what this means to me.’”

And since then, every Christmas in the Kansas City area from 1979 to his death in 2007, this “Secret Santa” sought out people who were down and out, and quietly and secretly slipped them an envelope with a crisp $100 bill inside. No one knew who he was until he was diagnosed with cancer before his death in 2007.

As you might expect, his tradition grew. In fact, in the year of his death, Stewart trained other Secret Santas, who were directed to give out $65,000 during the holiday season, not counting the money Stewart himself was giving out.

Something in that giving was deeply satisfying to Stewart. Something resonated in his soul to continue the practice. Something was essentially — well, eternal — about giving in secret.

I cannot help but be reminded of Jesus’s disappointment in those He could only call “hypocrites” as they seemed to relish in the public recognition of their gifts. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. (Matthew 6:2)

Amidst the commerciality and superficial nature of what Christmas has become for much of the culture, do you yearn to feel the warmth of Christmas in a new, deeply satisfying way? Then, consider doing this:

Between now and Friday, think of someone in your life who is down and out — someone who is struggling financially, has had a difficult time lately, or who just could use a hand. Get a card and an envelope. Write their name on the outside, and put a gift (cash, gift card, etc.) inside. On the card, simply write, “Merry Christmas.” Find a way to slip it to them.

Without a doubt, you will feel a sense of joy just imaging what that person will feel when opening the card. But there is more, because Jesus didn’t stop there.

He said, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Merry Christmas. May your Father see you in secret, and reward you.