Christmas at the Rink

Remember when you were little and Christmas was approaching...remember the last week of school before the holidays, and how it was all about parties and fun?  Well, we adopt that idea at skating and always have a Christmas party for the kids.  And, at both clubs I coach at, the party involves a special visitor...Santa!  The kids are always soooo excited to see Santa arrive...and then when he comes out on the ice, the kids all flock to him!   

In Quinte, Santa comes out and skates with the kids for the whole session - he always has lots of company!

We have a family skate, so parents and siblings can come on the ice too.  The kids have so much fun showing their parents and Santa all the new things they can do on the ice!  This year, there were also festivities in the arena lobby - hot chocolate, treats and face painting. 

In Tweed, Santa doesn't skate with the kids, he likes to have a chance to talk to the kids - so, he brings a chair out on the ice and lets the kids sit with him and tell him what they want for Christmas :)  He usually shows up about 20 minutes into the session, so we played some games while we waited.

This year, we tried to have a family skate here too, but parents weren't notified until two days before, so we only had two dads join us :(  The kids still had a great time though.

Sisters, McKenna and Cheyenne, dressed in green and red for the special day!  McKenna is in my CanSkate group, and Cheyenne is one of the Advanced CanSkaters that I give private lessons to...she LOVES to skate, and that big smile is almost permanent when she's on the ice (until she gets cold)!

Molly, one of my CanSkaters, Santa (who is actually our rink employee, Randy), myself, and Alyssa, one of my STARSkaters (who was Santa's helper for the morning).

 
As a coach, I'm always thankful for these skating parties...it means a little break for me too because I don't have to plan lessons!  So, it's a win-win for the kids and the coaches!