Walking in a Winter Wonderland at St. Anselm’s Catholic Academy

The neighborhood isn’t able to build any snowmen and snowwomen just yet. But Christmas still manages to spread its joy despite the recent warm temperatures.

Over the weekend of December 12 and 13, St. Anselm’s Catholic Academy located at 365 83rd Street, hosted its traditional Winter Wonderland event.

Co-organizer and member of the Winter Wonderland committee Eileen Johnson noted, “because of the warm temperatures, it’s kind of hard to feel like it is Christmas time.” However, she stressed that, once the doors opened, it was easy for guests to feel the Christmas spirit, “Christmas was all over the place.”

Among the activities and entertainment, according to Johnson, were a live performance of the Nativity scene portrayed by children of all ages from the school, as well as games, arts and crafts, a bouncy house, various other rides, and a candy land booth.

The children “enjoyed seeing Santa,” noted Johnson. In fact the children at the event were lucky enough to get to meet two Santas, one in a living room setting and another in a sleigh.
For parents, there were also various stands selling art work, handmade crafts, Christmas wreaths, jewelry, scarves and hats.

The event serves as a fundraiser for the school. The Boy Scouts, Johnson said, “ran the entire concession [aspect of the event], cooked, served, and cleaned up. They did a phenomenal job.”
Beyond the fundraising, the event serves another important purpose, said Johnson. It is, she said, “a community event, to draw people together to celebrate the holiday.”