CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR legend Greg Biffle and his wife Cristina were on a mission to spread holiday cheer.
Cristina Grossu Biffle sent free Santa letters to thousands of children over the years.
This year, the special delivery packet included a personalized Santa letter, an official nice list certificate and a recipe for Mrs. Claus magical cookies.
Greg, Cristina, their son Ryder and Greg’s daughter Emma were four of seven people killed in a plane crash earlier this month.
Valerie King was one of the parents who requested free Santa letter for her daughter Avery.
“It was written from the heart. It was given to us by people that really care about other people. It was a letter that really meant something to Avery, Somebody who is famous spent their time writing all these letters to all these children and just putting smiles on everybody’s faces,” Valerie said.
Avery’s Santa letter read in part: “Avery, I can’t believe how much you’ve grown this year. I am so proud of you and all that if you have accomplished. It’s so fun to see when you dance. You are quite the little performer. Give Sunny, your hamster some love snuggles from me this year! Keep up the great work – your family loves you so much.”
The Biffles helped Santa with this letter and other cookies. This year, Cristina sent more than 2,500 Santa letters to children around the country.
Avery was grateful for this memorable keepsake.
“I was happy to find out I was in the nice list,” Avery said. “I liked that he included my hamster and my dancing because i’ve been dancing for quite a while.”
Valerie received the special delivery packet a few days before the Biffles passed away.
“My heart broke when I found out it. I can’t even imagine what the family is feeling right now about this,” Valerie said. “I’m so close to my family, and if this happened to any of my family members, I don’t even know what I would do. It really hit home.”
The Kings waited until the holiday to open the nice list certificate.
“We actually didn’t open this till Christmas Day, and it really broke my heart even more because, you know, this is a couple weeks after it happened and they’re no longer with us,” Valerie said.
The Kings are NASCAR fans and are also fans of the couple’s generosity.
“My parents actually on Lake Norman so we see him on the boat a lot and he just all of these things that he did for Hurricane Helene and just what a wonderful person and his wife was,” Valerie said.
Families across the U.S. are posting to social media about the special deliveries. Emily Christopher from Texas recorded her sons, Fletcher and Beck, making Mrs. Claus’ magical cookies. In the video, a caption reads: “Thanks for the joy you spread to our family.”
The Kings plans to treasure this priceless gift.
“Getting something like this is very special to us,” Valerie said.
They hope someone continues this tradition for years to come. In the meantime, Valerie plans to frame the certificate and letter for her daughter to keep in her room.
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Estephany Escobar
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