With Christmas fast approaching, many local children could not afford to buy gifts for their family and friends. However, Mrs. Claus, better known as Amy O’Brien provided a fun way for kids to buy gifts.
For the past several weeks, the Mistletoe Market has been a great place for people to shop with local vendors. On Dec. 19 there was a special booth at the Mistletoe Market just for kids. This booth had a myriad of items available for kids to purchase and every item was only $1. Not only was everything affordable, but there was also a special guest manning the booth, Mrs. Claus.
O’Brien dressed up as Mrs. Claus for the first time to participate in the town’s Christmas parade the previous year. She said the idea for this stemmed from her deep love of Christmas. This year, she is using her Christmas alter ego to provide kids a way to get presents for their families.
It is common to hear about programs that help provide Christmas presents for parents to give children. However, it is incredibly uncommon to hear about programs that allow kids to get gifts to give their family and friends.
Young children who still believe in Santa and the magic of Christmas are always thrilled to have an opportunity to interact with Mr. or Mrs. Claus. The same held true of local children who showed up to shop at Mrs. Claus’s Market. Kids from all over the county came out to shop at this unique booth.
O’Brien and all those involved in putting on this event made Christmas brighter for many children and their families. Between the presence of Mrs. Claus, holiday shopping, and the beautiful decorations lighting the town, the Spirit of Christmas was evident in Hinton on Saturday, Dec. 19.
Pandemic guidelines were followed by all.
They hope to make the Mrs. Claus Market an annual event.
