The Christmas Elves

Courtesy of Marymount High Schools Official Website

Courtesy of Marymount High School’s Official Website

Amber Wall ‘18, Editor-in-Chief

Every year on December 1st, Santa’s Elves work diligently behind the scenes to decorate our campus for passersby. After all, there’s nothing like a Christmas tree and hanging strings of lights in the dining room to get everyone in the holiday spirit before break. What everyone may not know–since the decoration process goes on when students are busy in classes–is that a group of parents are the ones to volunteer each year to make our campus all the merrier. I decided to interview one of Santa’s Elves, Sally Alder, for an inside perspective of the process.

 

Amber: Why did you decide to get involved with the Santa’s Elves program?

Mrs. Alder: I love Christmas! I found out about it during my daughter’s first year here at Marymount 4 years ago and decided to help out, and I’ve been doing it ever since. It’s one of the most fun things to do during the holiday season, especially because all the moms volunteering get together, chat, and help decorate the school.

 

Amber: How do parents get involved in the decorating process?

Mrs. Alder: Open House. We would love to have more parents there on clean-up day before the break because the day we put up the decorations is usually the most crowded too.

 

Amber: What parts of campus are chosen to decorate?

Mrs. Alder: We decorate the Dining Hall, Cantwell, the reception area, and the Front Parlor.

 

Amber: Where do decorations come from? Can we donate more items to the collection?

Mrs. Alder: Decorations are owned by the school. There are at least 2 or 3 faux trees, tons of little Christmas characters, decorations for the tree, fancy ribbons, and these cute wreaths. Everything is a little worn down, so we would be very appreciative if more items were donated.

Amber: Do parents usually decorate differently each year or stick to a routine?

Mrs. Alder: Since I’ve been doing it, we stick to a routine–especially because we have only four hours to get everything up. It’s great because a lot of the moms bring treats and goodies like muffins, coffee, and peanut brittle to snack on during the day. And for inspiration, there’s plenty of photos of what the areas looked like in previous years, so we have that as a reference, but sometimes change up the position of certain things.  

 

Amber: Lastly, what’s your favorite decoration?

Mrs. Alder: The tree in the dining room by far…we have these lavish ornaments and fake presents to put under the tree that make it really pretty. The Santa’s Elves program is great way to meet other parents and I’m so glad I have done it these past years!

 

I would like to thank Mrs. Alder for taking the time to talk about the program and helping out with decorating. Speaking for my classmates, we love having the various embellishments up to look at while walking from class to class and look forward to seeing them for years to come!