Gravesend got into the giving spirit the weekend before Thanksgiving as Our Lady of Grace hosted its annual Breakfast with Santa and Christmas Fair on Saturday, Nov. 17 and Sunday, Nov. 18.
The event took place in the parish’s school gym, located at 385 Avenue W.
The weekend fair was chock full of activities including vendors selling new and used items, a breakfast and pictures with Santa, raffles, and hot and cold food and desserts.
“It was great,” said organizer Mary Ann De Luca, lending thanks to the local Boy Scouts as well as the parish school’s students who helped decorate the space for the holidays. “I think people look forward to it every year.”
De Luca also gave a shout-out to Faith Formation Director Phyllis Norinsky who decorates the space’s tree “better than Rockefeller Center.”
That, coupled with the handmade decoration from students, De Luca said, help to tie the event together.
“Not only does it look nice but, since it’s done by them, it’s really special if the kids or the parents come in,” she said. “When you walk in, it’s a nice homey look.”
The event — which does phenomenally well for some of its vendors — holds a special place in De Luca’s heart, and so do its usual participants.
“Some vendors come all the way from Staten Island, and some have even been with me since 2001,” she told this paper.
De Luca began putting together the annual fair in 2001 after the death of the previous organizer.
“I took it over because I really didn’t want the event to die,” she told this paper. “It’s just really special.”
This year’s breakfast saw almost 100 children, she added.
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