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Lauderhill Firefighters Play Santa To Family In Need

LAUDERHILL (CBSMiami) - Lauderhill firefighters played Secret Santa to a deserving family Tuesday.

In what it hopes will become an annual tradition, the Lauderhill Fire Department adopted a family for the holiday.

Firefighters surprised the Frazier family of Lauderhill with gifts on Christmas Eve.

Tangela Frazier is a single mother of six children, 4 of whom are still minors.

Recently divorced, she said she does not have the financial means to buy her children gifts for Christmas.

"Last couple Christmases, my kids haven't had a Christmas," Frazier said through tears after being surprised at her home.

One of her sons wrote an email to the Lauderhill Fire department asking for a little holiday cheer, not for himself, but for his sisters.

Lauderhill Fire Lt. Jason Clark called the email a "selfless act."

"We had to spring into action and do something for this family," Lt. Clark said.

The Fire Department stepped in, adopting a family for Christmas for the first time.

"All of the firefighters here have come together, out of our own pocket," Lt. Clark said. "This is straight from our hearts and our pockets."

Thanks to their generosity, the family received all sorts of goodies, including iPods, a digital camera and a computer.

They were also given gift cards for school uniforms and shoes.

"I believe that these things will truly be a blessing to them and they'll make use of it all," Lt. Clark explained.

Tangela Frazier said her kids are very deserving.

She said they're straight "A" students who never complain.

There were no complaints on Christmas Eve, but plenty of gratitude for their surprise Santas.

"I want to say thank you because they took the time out of their time to help us," Lamar Frazier said.

"I'm so grateful," Tangela Frazier said. "Lauderhill, you never can imagine how grateful my family feels right now."

The Fire Department also provided the Fraziers with a Christmas tree and an airline ticket for one of the Frazier's daughters to fly home from college for the holidays.

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