Santa joins children for milk and cookies in Cranberry Township
CRANBERRY TWP — It’s tradition to leave milk and cookies out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve to help fuel him for his all-night round-the-world flight.
But this weekend, children got a chance to have milk and cookies with Santa Claus as well.
It was all part of the Milk & Cookies with Santa event at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center, 2525 Rochester Road.
During three one-hour events at 11:30 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Sunday, children and their parents were able to decorate cookies, write letters to Santa and have their picture taken with the Man in Red.
Hunter Berneburg, with the township parks and recreation department, which was sponsoring the event, said all 275 registration slots were filled before the first session Saturday.
“We’ve done this for a few years. This is my second year running the event,” said Bernesburg. “We’re going to have pet photos with Santa after the last session on Sunday.”
Parks and Recreation employees and volunteers from Seneca Valley High School readied milk and cookies and passed out crayons and paper for letters to Santa, as children decked out in their holiday finery, parents and grandparents lined up.
Santa made his appearance with plenty of ho-ho-hos and shaking a set of hand-held jingle bells before taking a seat on a bench.
This was the cue for parents to bring their children up to the Jolly Old Elf for the picture part of the program. Parents then waved, clapped, danced and and shouted “Look right here at Mommy” to get their children’s attention to create the perfect holiday picture. Some of the youngsters hung back, but there were very few tears in evidence.
Sam and Cassandra Eisenreich, of Cranberry Township, brought their children Oakley, 20 months, and Everest, 4.
Everest said he asked Santa for a steamroller and Paw Patrol toys for Christmas.
Asked how Santa kept track of who was naughty or nice, Everest said, “Oakley is not nice. I guess I can be nice. All little boys and girls are nice,” before heading for the cookie table.
Terese and Charlie LaVallee of Cranberry Township brought their grandchildren, Kalea LaVallee, 6, Tåsi LaVallee, 1, and Luca Sparacino, 2.
Kalea said Santa gets down chimneys “by his sled” and keeps track of who is naughty and nice. “I think he looks below,” she said before adding she would like an OMG dollhouse for Christmas.
Charlie LaValle said about the OMG dollhouse, “We weren’t sure what it was either. We had to be educated.”
“Thanks to the volunteers, we get to be here with our grandchildren. It’s an honor and a privilege,” he said.
Natalie and Ryan Mather of Cranberry Township waited with their five-year-old, Lane.
“I don’t know how he gets down the chimney,” confessed Lane, saying he hoped it wouldn’t prevent Santa from bringing him a “howler monkey set, a stuffed yeti and a pirate eye patch.”
Jamie and Ryan Deer of Cranberry Township brought their daughter, Adilyn, 6, and son, Everly, 2.
Adilyn said Santa keeps track of those who are naughty and nice “from a camera.”
She said she wanted Santa to bring her “LOL dolls. They are like little Barbies.”
Olivia Barkley, 5, the daughter of Colleene Barkley of Cranberry Township, also wanted an LOL doll “and a doll you have to put in water and Gabby’s playhouse.” She said Santa knew who was naughty or nice “because of the elves.”
Corinne and Tim Desrosiers of Cranberry Township brought their children, Maverick, 2, Annabell, 6 months, Ella, 6, and Ethan, 9, for a visit and photo opportunity with Santa.
Ethan said of Santa, “He’s magic, so he should probably know what everybody is up to.”
Ella said, “I really want a squishmallow pillow,” while Ethan had his heart set on “Pokemon trading cards and a Pokemon video game” for Christmas.
Joey Ulintz, 7, of Cranberry Township, who came with his mother, Debra Ulintz, and sister, Sophia, 10, said he knows how Santa visits his house on Christmas Eve.
“We don’t have a chimney, so he goes through the basement door,” said Joey, who asked for a trampoline and Army men for Christmas.
Sophia said, “I want my own gel pen set and a new detailed coloring book to go with it.”
After the first session was over and the last picture taken, Santa said of the children he posed with, “They haven’t changed in years. I’ve got a lot more coming to see me. This is the most I’ve seen in the last five or six years.”
“Lots of kids are asking for Legos, LOL dolls and, believe it or not, I’ve had 10 kids asking me for ice cream machines.”
Santa, who has the alter ego of Ott Quarles, said he has been listening to children’s Christmas lists for 35 years. And he had a message for their parents, as well.
“I can’t express enough that families need to include their grandparents. It needs to be a family event, and it needs to be all the family or include the neighbor lady who just lost her husband,” he said.
