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Kids make cookies for Santa
BOARDMAN
Fifty children – most coated in layers of flour, sprinkles and syrup – happily left Boardman Park on Monday night with treats to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve.
The park hosted its annual “Cookies for Santa” event – which sold out weeks in advance – at the Lariccia Family Community Center.
“It’s just something that people have fallen in love with,” said Karen McCallum, park recreation director. “People can make their own cookies and leave us the mess!”
Families gathered in the community center, where they could roll out dough, send cookies to the oven and then decorate them.
On the other side of the center, families took breaks to enjoy green Grinch-shaped waffles, hot cocoa and a showing of “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.”
Among the participants were Amy and Kent McMurray of Boardman, who helped their 20-month-old daughter Alyse make treats.
Amy said they wanted to bring Alyse because it’s her first real holiday experience, since she was so young last Christmas.
“She’s never really held dough in her hands before, so she’s a little unsure. But she loves to paint, so she’s excited to decorate,” Amy said.
Her husband snapped photos of the two, with Amy laughing after Alyse dumped flour all over herself but remained hard at work with cookie cut-outs.
Alyse wasn’t the only one with a mishap. All around the cookie stations, flour ended up in hair and on clothes, and frosting decorated as many tables and fingers as it did cookies.
Aleeya Williams, 2, narrowly avoided dropping her plate of cookies on the floor, thanks to her helper, dad Mark Williams. They also were joined by mom Rebecca and 4-year-old Ashton.
“I thought it would be a nice thing for our family to do together around Christmas,” said Rebecca, smiling as she helped her daughter.
Toni Acevedo also was there with her children, Ava, 7, and Mason, 3. Cousin Nikki Turk joined them with her son, Rocco, 3.
Cookie-making is well-known to their family, Acevedo said, because her mother makes any and every type of cookie during the holidays.
Ava borrowed an apron from her grandmother for the occasion, saying it helped her bake. Brother Mason also donned a tiny apron.
Most kids went all out with cookie toppings, heaping their creations with icing, sprinkles and candy toppings.
McCallum said she hoped participants also would take the chance to drive through the park after the event to enjoy the holiday-lights display.
The park’s synchronized lights display – which pairs with music on 88.9 FM – runs through the beginning of January.