Magic moments: Peters Township shares spirit of the season
Peters Township presented an enchanted evening for believers in Santa and all the sparkle of the season when it held its annual Holiday Kick-off Celebration on Dec. 5 at the community and recreation center located in Peterswood Park.
“Lots of Christmas magic here,” said Peters Township recreation supervisor Kristen Martin.
Activities were positioned throughout the recreation center and gymnasium.
The library set up crafts for the children, members of the police and fire department supervised games while volunteers distributed gift bags containing coloring books, crayons, gifts and prizes.
Letters to Santa were composed and mailed, and if accompanied by a return address, would be personally answered.
There were numerous inflatables with which to interact and play. Plenty of hot chocolate and cookies were consumed.
The main attraction, however, was Santa Claus.
“When the kids are with Santa their eyes light up and they’re all excited,” Martin said. “That’s the best thing about this.”
Mary Judy Stewart agreed. A Peters Township resident since 1995, she has volunteered at the event for at least six years, serving right next to Santa.
“I love seeing the kids and how excited they are,” said Stewart. “They all have different reactions to Santa. Some run right up to him. Others are like ‘forget it’ and they want nothing to do with him and they scream. Some sit down and tell him what they want in a very, very, very serious manner.”
Before retiring, Stewart led a life similar to the parents in attendance. An educator, she taught at Pathfinder School. With her special education background, she continues to serve as a consultant and substitutes on occasion in Upper St. Clair.
A Bethel Park native, Stewart has two grown children, Lisa and John.
“I don’t have any grandchildren so I’m living vicariously through this because it reminds me of Christmases when they grew up and when I’d take them to see Santa. It’s really exciting to see how thrilled they are and I think they do an outstanding job here in Peters Township getting everything coordinated. It takes a lot to coordinate and I think the people in the community should be very pleased to have something like this for them to enjoy.”
Zouka Abraham appreciated the experience. She has attended the event for three years with her daughters, Carmen and Myriam, and now her infant son, Giovanni.
“It’s all good, organized and beautiful,” she said. “I like the center and all the activities they do for us.”
For Jamie Lynn, the Holiday Kick-off is a tradition. She, too, has attended for three years, the first time when her son, Landon, was 3 months old.
“This is awesome and he loves it,” she said. “We just want to keep this going. We’re here to start making family traditions.”
While Santa patiently listened to all the desires of the children, from Barbie houses and American girl dolls, to bicycles, ice skates and even frogs, he didn’t fret about the abundant requests, nor the parameters involved in the delivery.
“There’s a little bit of magic,” he said. “We’ve been doing this for hundreds and hundreds of years. We’ve worked out all the bugs.
“It’s a lot of work but it’s a lot of fun and it’s a wonderful feeling seeing their eyes light up. Now all they have to do is just be as good as they can be.”