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Hillcrest School helps kids to give

For two days, Hillcrest School opened the Christmas Store, so all students could come and choose the best gift for their loved ones.
Hillcrest School Christmas Store
The Hillcrest School Library was filled with toys for this year’s Christmas Store.

For two days, Hillcrest School opened the Christmas Store, so all students could come and choose the best gift for their loved ones. 

Purses and shoes, tools and mugs, recipe books, spices, dishes, glasses, a roaster oven and other kitchen supplies, Christmas decorations, toiletries, stuffed toys and puzzles, computer games and DVDs, jewelry, gloves, hats and clothes, even WD-40 and a mermaid tail were available. What couldn’t kids find in the Christmas Store that was operating in the school on Dec. 11 and 12. 

The students were fascinated by the choices they had, so were the elves helping kids to shop. Jillian Ursu, the head elf of the Christmas Store, talked about the donations they’ve received this year.

“The donations come from all over the community of Estevan and area. We have some companies that donate, we also have just individuals. And we get such a variety of things to choose from,” Ursu said.

“There are new items and some are gently used. This year we have much more than last year.”

There were so many items, that elves had to keep some of them under the tables to restock as shopping occurred. Each kid coming to the store could pick one item per visit for someone who they love and care about.

Community education liaison Sara Pippus has noticed that the idea of giving is what drives the Christmas Store from one year to the next.

“We found that it was a nice way to teach the students about giving to other people and be thinking about other people. This time of the year kids are thinking about themselves and their own Christmas lists and what they want,” Pippus said.

School staff directed kids toward choosing things for their parents, grandparents or siblings. And despite some children insisting that their dads really needed a huge stuffed toy or a fidget spinner, in most cases Hillcrest school staff could always help them to choose something very personal for their family members.

Every class got to go to the store in a prescribed order and nobody was allowed to spy prior to the scheduled visit, so shopping tours turned into exciting holidays for all students.

Every year Hillcrest School students go shopping at least twice, and with the amount of donations this year there might be more gifts coming students’ families’ ways.

“Just looking at the store this year I’m thinking they’ll probably be able to go through at least three times,” Ursu said.

Every year the order in which different classes go shopping changes, so eventually all kids get the first pick. Since last year, after all kids’ shopping is done parents and school staff are invited to come pick some gifts for their loved ones as well. And whatever is left over gets packed and sent to the Salvation Army.