Dodi Salazar had an idea. The Santa Fe County Housing Authority director placed mini-Christmas trees at three county office complexes last month with slips of paper on them. The name and age of a child who lives in county-subsidized public housing was written on each slip.

Salazar sent an e-mail to colleagues asking them to choose a slip of paper from the tree and buy a $20 gift for the child whose name was on the paper.

"It's hard times right now," Salazar said. "We thought we'd be lucky if we could get tags taken for half of the kids that would be a really good outcome," she said. "They started going little by little, then after I sent out one last e-mail, all of them were gone in like one day. It's really about county staff and how they have just stepped up."

Ultimately county employees purchased gifts for all 200 of the children up to age 17 who live in county public-housing complexes. And when the tags ran out, the donated money was used to buy goodies such as snacks and blankets for some of the Housing Authority's elderly residents.

Community Services Director Joe Gutierrez, himself a father of two grown daughters, purchased gifts for five children.

"I thought it was a great thing and it just seemed cool," Gutierrez said. "I just thought that I would help out."

Gutierrez said it's been so long since his own kids were young that he and his wife had to solicit advice from other children at Target in selecting gifts for the children ages 1, 2, 8, 10 and 17, whose names they selected from the tree at the county building downtown.

"We asked them what to get," Gutierrez said. "That's how we picked the gifts."

Salazar's idea gave county Housing Department Supervisor Karen Wilson an idea. She mentioned the project to friends at the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Word got around to Toys 4 Tots, a nonprofit loosely associated with the Eagles, and they offered to buy more presents for the children who call public housing home.

"They got really excited about it," Salazar said. "And they invited my girls to go meet them at Wal-Mart, and they shopped and shopped and shopped."

As a result, each of the 200 children who live in county public housing will receive two gifts, in addition to whatever Santa Claus brings.

"It's a blessing," said Toys 4 Tots board member Joe Don. "You have to give to receive."

Salazar said she'll make the tree project an annual event. "If county employees want to make the lives of my kids happier that's great," she said. "I'm thrilled."

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com.