Holiday Party Fills Anchor Center with Joy 

Each December, we celebrate the season with a magical Children’s Holiday Party. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive via carriage from the North Pole and even bring their reindeer for our children to meet. A day filled with community and joy, we wrapped up 2016 with this special event for our families on Thursday, December 15 – giving the man in the big red suit plenty of time to get ready for the holiday.

A perennial favorite, our children enjoy opening gifts one-on-one with Santa and Mrs. Claus, thanks to the generosity of the Wags and Menace Make a Difference Foundation. Their generous donation provides holiday educational toys for our infants, toddlers and preschoolers selected for each child’s developmental needs. We are grateful for the continued support that allows this annual donation possible to help our children and their future.

The spirit of giving was alive and well. Our thoughtful preschoolers even made sure Santa and Mrs. Claus had water to drink. On a day with such excitement, they were selfless and caring, thinking of others’ needs first. Another child observed that “Santa must have milk and cookies,” making both moments special highlights of the day for our staff.

The festivities continued throughout the day with arts and crafts, complete with little budding artists painting strings of holiday lights (and plenty of hands – or in some cases, noses and faces). In addition, reindeer masks and tactile bead and pipe cleaner activities were a hit with children and family members alike. Down the hall in our festively decorated Community Room, beautiful sounds of the season entertained, thanks to the talents of volunteer pianists, while families and guests dined together on a community potluck.

Memories of the day were captured by our two talented photographers both with Santa and our annual holiday portraits – images sure to be treasured for years to come. As we look forward to their professional work, please enjoy these brief highlights. We hope it warms your spirit this holiday season as much as it does ours!

Thank You To Our Holiday Helpers

• Northstar Commercial Partners, for decorating the Community Room and helping prepare for our celebration in so many ways
• Mountain Magic Reindeer, for their magical reindeer experience
• Lauren DeBell, photographer with Santa and Mrs. Claus
• Katy Tartakoff, family portrait photographer
• Anchor Center graduate Michael Weis, for lending his talents on the piano
• Anna, Guli and Olga, for their talents on the piano
• Richard & Vickers Myers and Valerie Walker, day of event volunteers
• …and last but not least, our amazing and talented staff who work tirelessly to make this magical day possible each year