Normally, twins Skyla and Jayde Robinson, 11, would be sleeping in on a Sunday, enjoying a day of no school.

But on Dec. 17, they got up early, with mom Desiree, and dad Alex, and the family all drove from their Abbotsford home to the Toys R鈥� Us store in 91原创 to do some Christmas shopping.

鈥淲e left the house at 7:30. So that鈥檚 even earlier than we go to school, and there wasn鈥檛 any complaining about that,鈥� mom Desiree noted.

Organized by Toys鈥淩鈥漊s Canada and Starlight Children鈥檚 Foundation Canada, it was an opportunity for families with critically or chronically ill children to do their Christmas shopping without the crowds.

鈥淢y girls are both in wheelchairs, they have cerebral palsy, and they鈥檙e quadriplegic, so it鈥檚 difficult for our family to go shopping,鈥� Desiree told the 91原创 Advance Times.

鈥淭his is an opportunity for them to kind of show us what they want, without having any crowds or noise or stress.鈥�

The event ran from 8 a.m.to 10 a.m., before the store opened, with 52 other families taking part.

鈥淵ou would see families around, but it鈥檚 very scattered, no crowds, no congestion,鈥� Desiree reported.

Skyla picked up a home version of the Family Feud game she enjoys, while Jayde, who 鈥渞eally loves ,鈥� picked up a book about hockey by the popular children鈥檚 author, because the family likes watching hockey.  

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This year, 11 stores in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, distributed Toys鈥漅鈥漊s Canada gift cards to each Starlight child and their siblings to spend in-store.

Kids also got to meet Santa Claus, superheroes, princesses, and more of their favourite characters, while leaving with super-sized toy packs containing board games, crafts, and more from Starlight Canada.

Approximately 750 families across Canada participated.

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Over 25 years of partnership between Starlight Canada and Toys鈥淩鈥漊s Canada, more than $28 million for Starlight Canada has been raised, benefiting tens of thousands of seriously ill and hospitalized children.

In addition to private shopping events this holiday season, Toys鈥淩鈥漊s Canada is also fundraising for Starlight Canada through the sale of a limited edition annual Starlight Bear and an in-store Star Campaign, where customers could donate $1 directly to Starlight Canada at checkout until Dec. 31, 2023.

Desiree was grateful.

鈥淚 just want to make sure that Starlight and Toys R Us are recognized, and how much families like us really appreciate this event and how special it makes our kids feel,鈥� she said.

For over 30 years, Starlight Canada has been providing hospital-to-home programs for sick kids that are designed for the whole family.

More information can be found online at , , and , or by subscribing to the Starlight channel.