Still stuffed with Thanksgiving turkey, waddle your way over to the Bensenville Towne Center, at Green and Center streets, to kick off the Christmas season with the Village of Bensenville’s annual Holiday Magic and tree lighting ceremony, tomorrow. Friday, Nov. 23.
“Become part of the tradition in our community,” said John Geils, village president. “There is something for everyone to get their holidays started.”
Festivities will begin at 5 p.m. with the arrival of who else? Santa Claus, of course.
Kids will have their chance to crawl on his lap and proclaim how good they’ve been, have pictures taken and even get an early surprise from the North Pole.
Visits with Santa and his reindeer continue all evening while other attendees relish in the holiday atmosphere by taking a carriage ride, listening to holiday music from carolers and a DJ, sipping hot cocoa, giggling at pictures drawn by a caricaturist and admiring the trees around Towne Center decorated for the season by families, schools, churches and other civic organizations.
After carefully reviewing hundreds of entries over the past few weeks, the winners of Bensenville’s annual holiday coloring contest will be announced at 5:30 p.m.
All the holiday excitement will culminate at 6:50 p.m. when Santa and President Geils will light the village’s holiday tree together.
“The whole night is all about the community celebrating the beginning of the holiday season,” Geils said.
All activities are free.
Holiday Magic is just the first of many opportunities for holiday cheer throughout the month of December: From concerts like Blackhawk Middle School’s Handchimes and Winter Chorus Program on Tuesday, Dec. 4, or Fenton’s Holiday Choral Concert on Sunday, Dec. 9, to marveling at the holiday lights of Lincoln Park Zoo and Navy Pier on Saturday, Dec. 8, with the Park District. Even Bensenville pets can celebrate the holidays with pictures with Santa on Monday, Dec. 17.
The holiday event has been a Bensenville tradition since the mid 1980s and now draws a crowd estimated at over 1,000 people. This event is sponsored by the village.
Since Thanksgiving was only yesterday, this event might feel like a heralding of the Christmas season, but the village, many residents and local businesses started their own yuletide season on Nov. 1when donation boxes for the village’s 37th annual holiday toy and food drive were put out around town.
“This is a tremendous program that brings the entire community together to help one another out,” Geils said. “The entire holiday season is all about giving and every year the community just gives and gives to the toy and food drive.”
This annual drive helps struggling families right here in Bensenville.
Donation boxes will be out during this event and will still be out at locations throughout the community until Friday, Nov. 30. Unwrapped toys, coats, winter gear like gloves, hats and scarves for all ages, gift cards or monetary donations and non-perishable food are being accepted.
In addition to donations, volunteers are also needed for the drive’s grand wrapping day Dec. 1 and distribution day Dec. 8.
“The tree lighting and festivities were built around the toy drive, and once the community sees the tree up, they know it’s that time of year when we all come together and give of ourselves,” Geils said.
For more information about tomorrow’s holiday celebration, the annual toy and food drive and volunteer opportunities, visit www.Bensenville.Il.us or call village hall at (630) 350-3426.
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