By John Howell Sr.

Five-year-old Jordan Franklin and her buddy, Addison Sossaman, age four, turned the tables on Santa last week.

Instead of adults showering kids with gifts, Jordon and Addison delivered gifts to adults — to the mostly elderly residents at the Sardis Nursing Home and at Fairfield Assisted Living Center and Golden Living Center in Batesville.

Jordon is the daughter of Dale Franklin and Rebecca Allen; Addison is the daughter of Billy and Lara Sossamon.

According to family friend Fran Wagner, the idea came to Jordan last year when she took a gift to a friend at the Sardis facility shortly before Christmas .

“She said, ‘Mama, I want to buy Sardis and Batesville presents,’” Wagner said.

Franklin mentioned the idea to her friend Addison, who also liked it. The two pre-schoolers then set about to make enough money to buy gifts for the long list they had compiled. Though the $260-plus that they were able to earn during the last 11 months  allowed Jordon and Addison to purchase enough gifts for every resident at all three facilities, it was obvious in the Fairfield lobby Wednesday afternoon, December 10, that the personal delivery meant more than the gifts themselves.

Jordan and Addison went from one person to the next, handing them colorful ornaments, wishing the recipient a “Merry Christmas.” Often, they received a hug in return, allowing brief, physical contact between age and youth so cherished by the former when tolerated by the latter.

“This is a thing that took off all of its own in the mind of a (then) three-year-old,” Jordan’s mom said.