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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – Children in Pelham will get a little extra Christmas magic on the week of the Christmas holiday, courtesy of the Pelham Recreation Center.

The Pelham Rec Center has announced a Youth Christmas Camp running on Monday, Dec. 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is open to children ages seven to 12, and the cost is 15 dollars per child.

The event is not only geared towards children, but provides parents time to knock out some last-minute Christmas shopping.

Jared Thornton, a recreation coordinator at the Pelham Rec Center, gave a brief summary of what the camp entails.

“Youth Christmas Camp is a fun opportunity for the kids in our community to come have some Christmas-themed fun at the rec center,” Thornton said. “We play kickball and do some fun Christmas-themed crafts. We also were looking to give parents the opportunity to get some last-minute Christmas shopping in and not have to worry about the kiddos.”

This is not the first installment of the event, and the idea sprang from the void in childcare during the hectic holiday season.

“This is the fourth time we have done this event, and we always do it a week away from Christmas,” Thornton said. “I have to give credit to Alicia Walters for first coming up with this idea. She was looking for a way to help parents get that last minute shopping in, while also giving the kids some fun over the holidays. Charlie (Sanders, recreation coordinator,) and I have since ran with it, and we try to make it better every year.”

While the camp was made to meet parents where they are at in the holiday season, the main mission of the camp is still focused on the magic of the holidays.

“The main goal of the camp is to provide kids with a memorable Christmas-themed experience,” Thornton said. “Christmas is a magical time of year for kids, and we want to help make that as magical as possible. And of course, we hope the parents get that last-minute stocking stuffer checked off the list.”

As Santa’s helpers, parents often struggle to balance shopping, childcare and more during the holiday season. Thornton recognizes this, especially keeping the secret behind Santa Claus hidden from the children of Pelham.

“We hope that scheduling it the way that we do helps parents do some last-minute Christmas shopping without having to worry about keeping up with the kids,” Thornton said. “We also know it can be hard to find time to go get some presents in secret because parents have to worry about getting someone to watch their kids. One of the joys of a parent during Christmas is surprising their kid with that awesome gift they have wanted all year. They need some time to go get it in secret, so that’s where we come in and help.”

The $15 fee for the camp covers everything offered during the camp, including lunch. No multi-child discounts for the program are offered currently, and parents can sign up at the Pelham Rec desk page.

“Pre-registration is preferred so we can plan based on the number of registered kids, but we will take walk ups the day of,” Thornton said. “We max out at 25 participants.”

Overall, the Pelham Youth Christmas Camp provides kids an opportunity to celebrate more holiday magic, and simultaneously gives parents the chance to knock out last-minute Christmas shopping during the final push to Wednesday, Dec. 25.