And any adult who has ever watched a child present a gift to someone else on Christmas knows that there is more excitement and joy in that one gift than in all the gifts the child opens herself. Santa's Workshop is about allowing every child to experience the joy of giving and giving parents the safe place to allow that to happen. Every December, Santa comes to Monticello and visits children at th
e fire station. On that same day, Santa's elves set up a workshop in the nearby church for children to safely pick out Christmas gifts for their loved ones. The fire department graciously gives kids (and their parents, if they want!) a ride on a fire truck to the church, and the parents get to visit with each other while the children enter the workshop. Once inside, the normally ordinary room is transformed into a special place filled with gift ideas of all kinds! There are special elves from the Monticello High School Chapter of National Honor Society, and these elves help the little ones find just the right gifts, then get them securely wrapped so that they are ready to put under the Christmas tree. All without parents ever seeing a thing! The gifts are donated from community members - some brand new items, some very gently used. Parents are asked to make a donation for their child's purchases, whatever they feel is appropriate (recommend 50 cents to $1 per item), and funds are used to prepare for the following year's workshop. Any extra funds are given to Monticello Empty Stocking Fund to make sure that all families in the Monticello area have a good holiday.
