Santa Shaq couldn't be on hand for the Christmas assembly at McDowell Elementary, but the school's most well-known former student certainly made his presence felt Thursday morning.

After the school's 327 pre-K through fourth-grade students watched a brief video message from Shaq Mason, the former Columbia Central gridiron standout now in his fourth season with the New England Patriots, they each received a tablet and a gift bag to cap a well-organized presentation — A Very Merry Shaq Christmas — spearheaded by his mother, Alicia McGuire.

“On Nov. 30, Shaquille told me he wanted to something for Christmas, 'something for the kids at my old school',” McGuire recalled. “'McDowell is dear to my heart. Let's do something really good — tablets, toys'. We made it happen.”

Enlisting longtime McDowell staff member Angel Hall and third-year principal Breckon Pennell, McGuire was able to pull off the surprise for the student body.

“Shaq has always been very present here, very supportive,” Pennell said. “He typically makes a couple of annual visits to the school.

“Ultimately, he said 'I just want to make sure every child has Christmas. That's what's important to me'.”

McGuire said that sentiment rises from the memories of Mason's own childhood.

“Growing up (with) a single parent, he saw me work two jobs,” she said. “He knows some kids don't get a lot for Christmas, even though I busted my butt to make sure they had everything and probably stuff they didn't need. He always talks about underprivileged kids, kids not being able to do something because of money. That's just something that's on his heart.”

For Pennell, Mason is a gift in himself.

“We couldn't be more grateful for his thoughtfulness, his leadership, giving back to his community, his school — and for also providing a model for our students of hope, of success, all of the things they can become,” she said. “Those are things we can certainly communicate to them, but it's another thing to see someone, a real neighbor, giving back to their community.”