Get involved. It feels good.

From cash donations, to business donations, to donating old wrapping paper or old working lights! Heck, come out with us the day-of and wrapping presents, or be part of the Breaking Crew, we want you to be involved!

Our Breaking & Entering Christmas Family!

This year’s Breaking and Entering Christmas family lives in low-income housing meant for field workers. Three generations sharing a very small space and doing everything they can to keep their heads above water after one of the hardest years they have ever faced.

In one room, Daniela, a 14-year-old girl is trying to piece together her sense of self after being abandoned by her mother. She deals with depression quietly, rarely hangs out with friends, and spends most of her time alone.

In the living room, the grandparents sleep on the floor of their own house. They were given a couch-bed that arrived in disrepair, and the bed has never folded out, so the floor became their only option.

The grandmother battled breast cancer this year and is doing everything she can to stay on top of her health after treatment and surgery. Most mornings, long before sunrise, she walks town, and through parks, collecting recyclables from trash cans to scrape together a little extra money for the family. The grandfather works long days in the fields despite his own health issues.

In another room, the children’s father works manual 12 hour shifts all week, it’s where he will be on Christmas Day. He is often stretched thin, but he continues to show up for his children and support in every way he can. Emilio, his 10-year-old son shares that room with him. Emilio has barely any toys.

They are a Mexican family, and in a year full of fear around immigration enforcement, they have been genuinely afraid to even renew their legal status even though they have every right to be here. They have heard the stories, and that fear sits heavy in their home.

There is no Christmas tree.
There is no real safety net.
There is struggle in every corner of the house.

When we heard their story, especially this year, it was clear. This is exactly why Breaking and Entering Christmas exists. It exists to step into a home that is fighting to stay hopeful and bring them a Christmas morning they never thought was even possible.

About Kids:

Emilio: 10 years old : Size 14: Suggestions: Toys, Legos, etc

Daniela: 14 years old : Size Small: Suggestions: Boot cut jeans, makeup, any tops, zip up hoodie

For Donation questions or pick up, reach out to 805montiel@gmail.com

North County Drop Off for gifts: North County Copy & Parcel

3850 Ramada Dr Ste A1 Paso Robles, CA, United States, California 93446

(805) 434-9543

For Cash donations, click here

The Family We Visit Stays Anonymous

What we do: With the help of the one who nominates the family, we gather presents for the kids, a tree, whatever we can to help, and we organize a time and means to covertly visit the home. We leave behind a decorated tree, presents, money, and most importantly, a Christmas Spirit the family will never forget!

I want to learn more / be a part of Breaking & Entering!

Wanna give? Have a business that can help? Have extra decorations or lights sitting around? Are you an expert gift wrapper? Wanna be part of the Breaking Crew? Have any questions or suggestions?

Reach out!

Last Year's Breaking & Entering Christmas

Last Year's Up+Adam's Breaking & Entering Christmas!

Last year, we met a family where the little boy and the little girl lost both mom & dad within months of each other, leaving their Grandmother in her 70's to pick up all the pieces. Grandma was struggling with a car that had not passed smog in 4 years, and now was tasked with driving both kids to school on the other side of the grade, more than 80 miles a day. This was in addition to medical visits out of town for the little girl. We helped get this lovely Grandma into a newer car, a dependable one, and as you can see blessed the house with the Christmas spirit, inside and out.

The Christmas season is a time for giving, love, hope, and miracles. For us, it's an opportunity to redefine the meaning of "breaking and entering." It's about bringing joy to families in genuine need, transforming their homes and creating lasting memories that will warm their hearts in a way they will never want to forget.

It's a beautiful reminder of the power of community, compassion, and the simple act of giving time to make someone else's holiday extraordinary while allowing them to remain anonymous.

Central to the success of Breaking & Entering Christmas is the involvement of the community. We seek nominations for the recipient family, maintaining their anonymity to ensure an intimate and personal celebration. Breaking & Entering Christmas stands as a testament to the magic that happens when a community comes together to make a difference during the most wonderful time of the year.

Thanks so much to all those involved in this year’s Breaking & Entering - Including these few, but certainly not all:

United Staffing Associates | General Store Paso Robles | KSBY | Dimes Media Central Coast | 95.3 The Beach | Red Oak Security | The Salvation Army San Luis Obispo Corps | Woods Humane Society | Holly Holliday
Spark'l Bands | Salinas River Ranch | Alex Farrington | Meathead Movers | Uncorked Wine Tours | Pots to Plate Project

Thank you Penny and North County Copy & Parcel for allowing north county drop off every year.

Thank you Joshua & Chiasa Klapper of Timbre Winery for letting me store stuff in your cellar.

Photography by SLO Town Studios

There are more to thank, you know who you are, and best, I know you, nor anyone, does this for any other reason but to love your neighbor.

And thank you to Little Tommy Sablan for mentoring a fellow lover of broadcasting and people on what he has been doing for close to 30 years in San Diego.

( if you want to go right to the Breaking & Entering, drag the black dot in the player above to the 9:00 min mark )