Malaina Jackson doesn't have children, so she seldom bothers with holiday hubbub like putting up a Christmas tree.

But this December, the 25-year-old Charlottean is doing it up, thanks to three homeless children who won her heart - and spare beds in her home.

None of the three (ages 9, 6 and 17 months) has celebrated Christmas before, they told her. They couldn't afford it.

In fact, the oldest, Douglas, swears Santa doesn't exist. Jackson finds that sad to hear from a child who so obviously needs a little magic in his life.

That's why she's out to prove him wrong, with the help of the Salvation Army's Christmas Bureau. The program uses donations to provide Christmas gifts to low-income children.

"He says there is no Santa, because Santa has never brought them anything. Santa always forgets them," said Jackson, who works at a Wells Fargo call center.

"It really touched me to know that there are kids who've never celebrated Christmas, because their mother never had the money. As a child, I got so many toys it was ridiculous."

The three ended up in Jackson's care after she decided to help their mother, an immigrant from El Salvador, who needed a haven for the kids while she pursued jobs in Florida.

The two boys speak English. The youngest, a girl named Brianna, is trying to learn.

Jackson agreed to temporary guardianship, believing they'd stay only a month.

That was three months ago. The mom still calls every couple of weeks to check in and occasionally sends money, but it's unclear when she'll be back. In the mean time, Jackson struggles with the extra expense of taking care of the children, two of whom are enrolled in local schools. "I think she's a good mom," Jackson said of the children's mother. She's just not in a position to be a financial provider for her children."

Until then, Jackson is giving the kids a little of the magic they've missed, including their first Halloween and first Thanksgiving.

This week, she let the boys take charge of putting up an artificial Christmas tree in her living room.

It was two hours of pure chaos, she said, and the result looks exactly like you'd imagine.

But the three are enchanted, staring for hours as the blinking lights reflect off the haphazardly hung ornaments, candy canes and wisps of fake snow.

She's told them presents will eventually appear underneath the branches, including some brought by Santa.

The oldest boy is not convinced, but 6-year-old Brian may be starting to believe. "He keeps asking me if Santa is really going to come and if he'll bring Legos," Jackson said.

When she looks in his eyes, she realizes what all the hubbub is really about. And why Santa has always existed, no matter what the big kids say.

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