Holiday Express, which Tim launched in 1993, has more than 50 appearances scheduled from Nov. 24 through Christmas Eve. The group was first comprised of some of Tim’s fellow musicians (yeah, he does that, too, headlining Tim McLoone and the Shirleys), but has since expanded to include hundreds of volunteers who can and can’t carry a tune. Together, they provide holiday music, food, fun times, and more than 15,000 gift bags to some of the most neglected people across the state—those in homeless shelters, psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and the like.
(For more about Tim and Holiday Express, you can read the story I wrote on his efforts last year or go directly to the organization’s website.)
I had the pleasure of reconnecting with Tim a couple of weeks ago, and he’s as humble and self-deprecating as ever. He also can’t say enough about Holiday Express, telling stories that elicit both tears and laughter. He talks about how you know you’re getting old when you don’t look forward to the holidays, when you see them more as a hassle than a celebration. But being a part of Holiday Express has renewed the magic of the season for him—and for the countless people whose lives are touched by it.
If you would like to be a part of the good vibes, you can volunteer with the group, putting together gift bags and partying at any of the dozens of events lining the calendar between now and Dec. 24. If your schedule is just too packed this year, you can help the group out by donating blankets, lip balm, deodorant, and crayons—items the group is short on this year.
But if you can be there, be there. Tim doesn’t shun donations, but he does prefer that if a person gives money to Holiday Express or donates a gift to one of the places they visit (through the organization’s "Giving Partners" program), he or she comes to see their donation in action. "You see the world light up for people," he says. "It’s so much more satisfying than just writing a check. It’s much bigger than that."
And Tim is a whole lot more than any of his job titles would suggest. Kudos to him, and to the whole Holiday Express group for bringing comfort and joy to those who need it most.