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4 | December 12, 2019 | The lake forest leader NEWS LakeForestLeaderDaily.com Posted to LakeForestLeaderDaily.com 3 days ago Kids pick the gifts at annual holiday shop Peter Kaspari, Editor Andy Jackson, 7, reaches for some money to pay for a gift he bought at the Kids Only Holiday Shop for a loved one. For any child, giving them responsibility makes them feel important. And when you give them the chance to choose what gifts they want to buy their families and friends on their own, without any adult influence, they will likely take that responsibility very seriously. That’s what happened at the Gorton Community Center on Wednesday, Dec. 4, as hundreds of kids took part in the annual Kids Only Holiday Shop. Ann Wildman, Gorton’s director of events, said the Kids Only Holiday Shop has been a staple of Gorton for about 30 years. “It really is a chance for the kids to surprise their parents on Christmas morning,” she said. “They come knowing that it’s really going to be a surprise because Mom and Dad aren’t shopping with them.” Accompanied by an “elf” (actually a Gorton staff member, volunteer or local high school student) the kids, shopping lists in hand, go from table to table to see what is being offered and what their family and friends would like for the holiday. Wildman said everything offered at the holiday shop is less than $10. Vendors include local businesses, private independent business owners, and other shops selling a variety of items from books to toys to custommade ornaments to soaps. One vendor even sold pet products. After their shopping excursion, the kids go downstairs where volunteers wrap the packages for them. Once that’s done, they’re reunited with their parents. Gorton also offers an hour set aside for children with special needs to do their shopping. It provides a more quiet environment before the shop is open to all children. Wildman said last year, almost 500 kids between the ages of 4-10 participated. “It gives them a sense of independence,” Wildman said of the kids. “They’re excited about it. At this age, in order for them to buy a gift, they would have to be driven to a store by their parent or caretaker. This way, they can go in safely on their own and they can truly get surprises for everyone.” Throughout the day, kids could be heard talking about what they were going to buy and who they were going to buy them for. “Oh, I need something for my grandpa!” one little boy shouted as he shopped. “Mommy, I kind of don’t know what to get for everybody,” one little girl told her mother before she started shopping. “What should I get for you?” “What does Dad like to do?” an elf chaperone asked a girl she was shopping with. “Shave his beard!” the girl replied, causing the elf and a vendor to laugh. Carrie Spezzano, a parent from Lake Bluff, said her daughter was excited to go shopping. “She said it made her feel independent,” she said. “And she said, ‘Now I don’t have to get you something from the dollar section at Target and ask you to stand over there while I pay.’” Cynthia McClamroch, another parent from Lake Bluff, said her kids look forward to it all year. “Just the fact they’re on their own, able to decide for themselves what grandma and grandpa and what their parents want, what each other wants,” she said. “It’s just so Finn Eggers, 8 (left) listens as Kendall Davis, with Brooklyn Elves, makes suggestions on what to buy for his family members during the Gorton Community Center’s Kids Only Holiday Shop on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Photos by Peter Kaspari/22nd Century Media Peyton Thadani, 6, browses what’s available for sale at the Gorton Community Center’s Kids Only Holiday Shop. much fun.” Chris Cooper, of Lake Forest, said his kids prepare beforehand. “We make a list,” he said. “They get presents for five different people. It makes them think about what they like and what they want to buy.” Nine-year-old Dea Yanev loved her shopping experience and being independent. It helps preserve the surprise of what she’s buying for her family. “It’s really fun shopping by ourselves because usually, in stores, you have to go with your parents,” she said. “And then they find out what you get them for Christmas.” And while she couldn’t say in front of her mother what she bought her, Yanev did say she thinks her mom will like her gift.
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