Schools

School PTOs Saving the Holidays One Santa Shop at a Time

Elementary-age children who are too young to shop for mom or dad alone rely on school Santa and Christmas shops organized by local PTOs to meet their retail needs.

Christmas shopping for friends and family is never easy. At age 8, it’s nearly impossible.  

With no money, no transportation and no way to intercept mom and dad’s letter to Santa, elementary-age children can be left in a lurch during the holiday shopping season. 

"I want to shop for everybody," said Bradley Szarejko, 8. Like many his age, the student knows who to buy for, but relies on the creativity and convenience of his parent-teacher organizations to get the job done.

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“The reason we have a Santa Shop at our school is to give the kids a way to shop for their family and friends all on their own,” said Tanya Wright, 's Santa Shop chairperson. “I see the enjoyment and smiles on their faces as they are walking through and picking out what they think their loved ones would like.”

“I also see the excitement in my own kids when they give me their gift on Christmas morning.”

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At , the Christkindlmarkt is a tradition dating back to the 70s.

"Christkindlmarkt is a German tradition that means children's Christmas market," said Dawn Miller, shop chair. "For the kids it is a time for them to shop for their families where they get to make all the choices and sometimes get something for themselves. All their gifts are then wrapped and ready to go under the tree."

Miller starts stocking the store early by shopping after Christmas sales at area retailers and surfing Ebay for bulk items such as fishing lures and stuffed toys. 

"Some of the items I purchase come from our own school groups," Miller added. "I buy popcorn from our boy scouts and package them with popcorn buckets and other things. I sell T-shirts for the athletic boosters and parent-teacher league (and) Smencils for the new playground equipment."

At the Santa Shop relies on selections from Debby’s Dollar in Washington Township.

“The owner of the store has been providing schools with Santa Shop items for many years,” Wright said. “She is fantastic to work with and does all the shopping for us. The items she provides are incredible.”

Using the dollar store, Ojibwa is able to price every item in its shop at $1.50. This covers the cost of the item as well as the wrapping paper and shopping bags students select for their individual gifts.

At Sequoyah, prices range anywhere from 25 cents to $5.

"This range seems to be able to cover everyone in a family so that the kids don't leave anybody out–not even the dog or the cat," said Stacie Waschewski, Sequoyah shop coordinator. "In that range, you can purchase anything from a pencil to a personalized coffee mug."

So whether they are called Santa shops, Christkindlmarkts or holiday stores, these mini-malls all share a common purpose: to allow elementary-age children the chance to shop for friends and family in a local setting at a low price.

Most schools will hold their shops this week–the first week of December–but check your school's newsletter for exact dates and price ranges to plan how much money to send with your child.


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