Christmas came early for a group of students in Manatee County, but it wasn’t Santa making their holidays brighter.

Gifts came from students at another school.

This week, instead of hitting the books, several St. Joseph’s Catholic school students delivered books to every student at Bradenton's Samoset Elementary.

“It makes me happy because I get to have my own book at home,” said fourth-grader Leslie Agustin.

“I’m very excited they are finding books they like,” said St. Joseph’s seventh-grader Tiffany Thomas.

A few weeks ago, student council members at St. Joseph’s held a stuff-the-stocking event and collecting 1,167 books.

“I’m very impressed,” said St. Joseph’s eighth-grader Kristen France.

“I was not aware of how many books we had.  It’s a lot!”

She and her fellow students chose to give the books to Samoset Elementary after learning several children there needed books at home.

“I like big chapter books,” said Samoset second-grader Alyssa Culpepper.  “I always like those books."

The older students hope their gifts will inspire a love of reading in the younger ones for years to come.

This is the second year St. Joseph’s students donated to Samoset.