History

Ruth Ann Young, owner of The Spirit of Christmas shop in downtown Kirkland, Washington (a suburb of Seattle), is the catalyst for Operation Iraq. The idea sprung from a retailer’s nightmare – a fire.

On June 15, 2003 (Father’s Day), a fire erupted at a neighboring business, causing serious smoke damage to The Spirit of Christmas store. Thankfully, there were no injuries. Although unable to replace much of the merchandise in time to open for the 2003 season, Ruth Ann was not to be denied the joy of the holidays.

Rather than be idle, Ruth Ann acted on an idea that emerged after exchanging emails with a high school classmate who was serving in Iraq. Subsequent contact with other military personnel led to “wish lists” for goody boxes. Then, though mostly word-of-mouth efforts, contributions and volunteers began arriving and momentum started to build for this heartwarming endeavor. The store was quickly converted into the “nerve center” for Operation Iraq-Afghanistan: The Spirit of Christmas.

In the span of about 10 weeks, volunteers procured items, organized work parties, packed more than 6,000 care packages and loaded them onto trucks to send to military troops serving overseas. Each and every year we have found a location to headquarter Operation Iraq-Afghnistan and the excitement has continued to build in the Kirkland and outlying communities. We have had individuals, schools and companies from all over the United States offering their support of this heartfelt project.