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Date: 12/1/2020
SOUTHWICK – To get children and families into the holiday spirit the Southwick Civic Fund will host a drive through Selfie with Santa event at Moolicious Farms on Dec. 12 for families from Southwick, Tolland, and Granville.
After hosting an arts and crafts fair at Southwick’s town hall last year, Southwick Civic Fund President Joe Deedy said they wanted to have another one this year, but the pandemic sidelined those plans.
“Last year we got a little excited and did a craft fair and a tree lighting at Town Hall. It came out very nice, we had the high school band come down the road playing Christmas music. With the COVID scenario, Town Hall has not been opened and we didn’t go out and try to do what we did last year,” he said.
As part of this year’s events, cars will drive up and form a line in the Moolicious parking lot before the children meet Santa from their cars.
“We figured out we were going to try to create a photo opp at Moolicious, the theory is you will drive in with the kids, we’re going to have the cars positioned so your back drop is hopefully all Christmas trees lit up. The kids will be in the passenger side and get a selfie with Santa,” he said.
On top of the Selfie with Santa, Deedy said the Civic Fund will be combining its Secret Santa event with the drive through.
“We do a Secret Santa and the Angry Elves which consisted of people that needed presents for their kids they just fill out the form on the website and that’s worked out rather well. We don’t ask a million questions, we helped Operation Santa in West Springfield for many years, so we brought that home,” he said.
Along with seeing Santa, children will be treated to a holiday display with snow if the weather holds up for the day.
Because families sign up online this year, Deedy said staff will be prepared to hand out the gifts immediately.
“We’re excited because now we have timeslots that you have to sign up for. So, Santa is already going to know it’s Jimmy and Sally and they are eight and nine, so the elves will come out with the wrapped gifts and Santa gives them the gifts,” he said.
Deedy said he was happy Southwick’s Board of Health let the Civic Fund come up with a creative, socially distant way to celebrate the holidays this year.
“The Board of Health told us what to do and we are going to do it. These guys have done a great job letting us be creative and still make things work because they very easily shut us down and said no, but here we are,” he said.
Residents of Southwick, Tolland, and Granville can find a link to sign up for the Santa Visit on the Southwick Civic Fund Facebook page.