CANDY CANE LANE
CHRISTMAS SHOP OPENS SOON!

What is the Christmas Shop?

The Christmas Shop is a magical place where students can pick out and purchase their very own Christmas gifts to give to all of the special people in their lives.  Victory Hall, which is located in the lower level of the school, will be transformed into the North Pole for this wonderful event that takes place each year on the last Thursday and Friday in November.  OLV students will shop during the day with the help of parent volunteers, selecting special Christmas gifts for family and friends that range in price from $1 to $15.  Mark your calendar to have fun, support our school and get a few gifts off your list!  If you would like to coordinate with your child's shopping time, the schedule is as follows:

     After shopping, students will enjoy a freshly baked cookie before returning to class. 

SANTA SHOP RAFFLE:  Santa Shop also has a student raffle for great prizes as well as a grand prize per wing.  Students can purchase raffle tickets for $1 each or 6 for $5 to enter their name in the drawing.  The week after Santa Shop six daily winners will be chosen to select prizes from the Santa Shop display case located in OLV’s main hallway.  On Friday that week, the grand prize winners will also be chosen.  

How Can I Volunteer for Santa Shop?  Click here for the SignUp Link
Santa Shop depends on volunteers to help setup the shop and ensure the students shopping experience runs smoothly.  Volunteers help students select gifts, pay for their purchases, and wrap & label presents so they are ready to be placed under the Christmas tree.  Please join us and volunteer your time for this wonderful kid-focused event: 

• Shop Setup Helper

Setup volunteers will assist the Santa Shop Committee in turning Victory Hall into a Christmas Wonderland.  It is an amazing transformation!  Volunteers will decorate Victory Hall, set up displays and tables for merchandise, organize and price merchandise and get the wrapping station ready to go.   Santa Shop is a busy event and many volunteers are needed to get the hall ready.

• Santa Shop Helper

Once the shop is open, Santa Shop volunteers can work morning and/or afternoon shifts to help student shoppers, keep tables stocked with merchandise, run cashiers, hand out cookies, wrap gifts and clean up.  There is a morning and afternoon shift.  Volunteers can choose the shift that includes their children's shopping time to help them find the perfect gift for their shopping list.  The Santa Shop Committee provides a delicious lunch for all our Santa Shop volunteers.

• Break Down Helper

The last shopping shift ends at 11:00 a.m., on Friday, November 30.  At that point, the Christmas Shop needs to be broken down, inventoried, and cashed out for the season.  We need volunteers to help that afternoon to bring Victory Hall back into a classroom.
 

ST. NICOLAS GIVING TREE:  We are introducing a Giving Tree to benefit the St. Dominic’s Soup Kitchen.  As the kids buy gifts for their loved ones we want to remind them that there are less fortunate people who will not be receiving presents.  The Giving Tree offers the students an opportunity to donate hats or gloves.  Feel free to bring a new set in to donate or they will be available to purchase for $1.  Students that donate will write their name on a paper glove that will be used to help decorate the Christmas Shop.

GIFT SELECTION:  The Christmas Shop offers a variety of gifts in a range of price points to meet the needs of each family.  The Shop is set up to make shopping fun and easy.  Tables are marked and gifts are arranged by prices.  There are also specialty areas such as the Mom/Grandma, Dad/Grandpa, and Pets tables to help find the perfect gift for that special someone.  New this year:  special section for our littlest Cougars and siblings geared to ages 3 and under, as well as an expanded Cougar Shop with never before seen gear for the whole family. 

PHOTOGRAPHY & PERSONALIZED STATIONS:  A variety of personalized gifts are available for students such as photo ornaments, photo mugs and hand-painted ornaments.  Children may have their photo taken during their shopping time if they select these items.  The personalized items will not come home with your student on their shopping day, but the item will be listed on your child’s receipt.  Each photo/personalized item will be delivered to your child before Christmas break.

SHOPPING DAY PREPARATION:

• Make a List.  Complete the attached Student Shopping List Envelope and set a budget for each person listed.  The tables in Santa Shop will be marked with prices and our volunteers will help steer your child to the right shopping zones for his/her budget.

• Make Labels.  Fill out “To” and “From” sticker labels and enclose in the attached envelope.  This will help the volunteers at the Wrapping Station get the wrapped gifts labeled correctly.

• How to Pay?  Enclose cash or a signed check in the Student Shopping List Envelope.  Checks should be made payable to OLV PTO (please leave the dollar amount blank and write the maximum amount allowed on the memo line).  Our cashiers will make sure that the budget was not exceeded and that a receipt comes home.  Please Note: Raffle tickets must be paid separately from gift purchases.

• Put it All Together.  Place the Student Shopping List Envelope, filled with labels and payment, in your child’s backpack on his/her assigned shopping day.  Your child will come home with wrapped gifts on his/her shopping day.