Kids Meet Santa Claus, Do Holiday Activities at Festival of Trees

There was everything from decorating to a horse-drawn carriage

FARGO, N.D. — Now that Thanksgiving has passed, people are getting into the Christmas spirit.

The “Cookies With the Claus Family” event at the Festival of Trees brought holiday cheer to the community. There were activities from face painting to writing letters to Santa.

“I hope they all have fun. It’s just a fun event, and it’s free. Maybe people who aren’t able to have their picture taken with Santa somewhere else can come and have it done here,” Barb Grabar, public administrator for Fraser, Ltd., said.

“It’s fun to see the looks on the kids’ faces, it’s fun to interact with the kids and their parents and just give them a nice feeling for Christmas and the holidays,” Santa Claus said.

Though some kids might be a little intimidated.

“That’s where Mrs. Claus comes in very handy. Much less scary than I am apparently,” Santa said.

“A lot of times they’re intimidated by Santa so I try to get them over to my side and usually they’re okay with that,” Mrs. Claus said.

Besides getting to meet Santa and take pictures with him, one of the key highlights of the event is getting to ride a horse–drawn carriage.

All of these trees at the festival are also going to a good cause.

“The funnest part is seeing the kids. The other would be the day we give away the trees to the needy families in the community,” Grabar said.

And what have kids been wanting for Christmas?

“This year it seems to be Legos are the popular thing that everyone’s come to the top of the list,” Santa said.

“They usually want Barbie dolls, houses, sometimes dogs, real pets,” Mrs. Claus said.

“It’s really just a fun, family-friendly event for everyone to get out and get in the holiday spirit,” Grabar said.

This is the 18th year the Festival of Trees has been held.