Santa may be a busy man this time of year, but the jolly old elf made a special personal appearance this afternoon at the La Porte Family YMCA for their second annual Cookies & Cocoa with Santa Christmas celebration. Families from all across the area were welcomed to stop by, visit Santa, snap a few photos, and enjoy some free hot cocoa with cookies.
Now in its second year, this year’s event looked slightly different than last year, according to La Porte County Family YMCA Metro Membership Director Marla Bruns.
“We first offered this event last year as sort of a drive-thru event,” said Bruns. “We had the Jingle Johns here and people drove by and waved. This year, we changed it up a bit, more towards what we had wanted to do.”
Visitors to this year’s Cookies & Cocoa with Santa event were invited to come by, meet with Santa and take a few photos in front of the gingerbread Elf House. Each child was offered a small gift and a candy cane, and they could even drop off their letter to Santa. This year's attendance is expected to be even better than last year.
“Our Elston branch has been doing a similar thing for a few years now, so we wanted to try doing it here too,” said Bruns.
Emilia Siffermann of Michigan City brought her son Michael, 4, to see Santa.
“He’s really enjoying it,” Siffermann said of her son’s visit with Santa. “We missed the event up there in Michigan City, so we were glad that we were able to make it out for the one here in La Porte.”
“They offer so many great things here at the Y,” said Siffermann, whose son Michael had only a simple request for the holiday.
“I want a coloring board,” he said.
Jessica Keehn of Mill Creek brought her 18-month-old daughter Lilith out for her first photos with Santa.
“She did so good! She didn’t cry or anything,” said Keehn, who is considering enrolling her daughter in the YMCA swimming program.
“They offer so much here,” said Keehn.
For more information about the La Porte County Family YMCA, visit them online at https://www.lpymca.org/
