Girl Scout elf Adyessey Conlan, 8, helps little Savanna Seitz, 4, transport her bags of handpicked presents at Santa’s Workshop.
The Girl Scout elves of Grand Marais drove down from the North Pole this weekend—presumably carpooling with the incoming snap of Arctic air—to host their annual Santa’s Workshop at the Cook County Community Center on Saturday, Dec. 7. There was a smorgasbord of trinkets, hot-buttered pancakes, and wrapping-paper covered tables available for the special event, culminating with Santa’s arrival at 11 a.m.
Although the event started at sunup on Saturday, few of the young elves felt like it was hard to get out of bed: “We love taking people and helping them wrap presents,” 8-year-old Aubrey Williams and 9-year-old Isabelle Miller explained.
In clever fashion, the Girl Scout elves usher fellow kids across the street to the 4H cabin to cross off wishlists and peruse the potential piles of presents, while parents are offered breakfast and left to ponder what they might get. Without revealing too many secrets, two dollars or less gifts are plopped into bags or boxes, wrapped with tiny hands, and then carried back across the street. This allows young shoppers to surprise family and friends with hand-picked presents and perhaps pick up on the exhilaration of giving.
Chris Kunze, one of the local Girl Scout leaders helping out on Saturday, remembers her first time attending nearly a decade ago: “My first experience with Santa’s workshop was with my daughter. A helpful, friendly elf helped her buy the world’s stinkiest perfume. The night before, while we were setting up, everybody smelled it. We were like, ‘Oh, the poor parent who gets that!’ And [then] somebody gave it to me under my tree,” she laughed.
In a way, an event like Santa’s Workshop acts as a great litmus test for a small community. “[We are] very appreciative of the support from the community because, without it, this would not happen,” says Kunze.
Between 30 and 40 Girl Scouts eagerly worked over the weekend, flipping pancakes, wrapping gifts, and running Santa’s Workshop. This fun-filled event helps the troop raise money for future experiences and ensures the elves have a ride back home to the North Pole.
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