By Stephen Smoot
“It’s a little chaotic right now, but it’s supposed to be!” shared Carol Koontz, director of the Hardy County Library.
She referred to the scene before her inside the warm and welcoming library. Beside a Christmas tree bedecked for the season sat a large and jolly Saint Nicholas, also known around these parts as Santa Clause. He scheduled a visit during a gathering of children coming to the County Library for the fun of making ornaments that their parents will treasure on their tree long after these kids have moved off and had their own kids.
“We’ve done it every year since, well, this is my 30th year. We’ve always had Christmas crafts even in the years we didn’t have Santa,” Koontz noted. She then shared that “we did miss a couple of years with COVID,” but added the refreshing feeling of nearly forgetting the pandemic happened as it recedes from current events into history.
Two long tables, well covered because kids love to make a mess, held markers, watercolor paints, and other supplies to help attendees create their own Christmas treasures. Each chair had a cup for dipping brushes in water that read “Imagine Your Story!”
Several kids lined up, eager to meet the smiling man clothed in red with white fur trim and his distinctive hat. One wore seasonal red pajamas, still yawning away the residuals of a good night’s sleep. Others rested on their mom’s left arm and hip, head on her shoulder, patiently waiting their turns.
But one young lady with a concentrating, furrowed brow, very reminiscent of Cindy Lou Who, focused hard on her ornament, working to get it just right. The blue apron she wore appeared two sizes too big, but did not interfere with her careful artwork. Each stroke of the brush was made slowly and precisely.
Even when urged to get in line for Santa, she remained at her post, determined to finish her artwork.
Will Clarke stood aside, watching the fun. He volunteered to serve as “back up” in case something delayed or prevented the arrival of Santa. He praised the Library for the event, saying “it gets the kids involved.” He added that it helps to bring the community closer to the Library and that “they need all the promotion they can get.”
“Quite a few are regulars,” Koontz shared, adding that, however, “some have gotten to the point where this is ‘kid’s stuff.’”
Christmas with Santa at the Library kicked off a full day of festivities as the Town of Moorefield started its day long Christmas extravaganza.
