By Tyler Dahlgren

Aspen Fairhead and Olivia O’Reilly perused from one table to the next, their eyes wide and intently scanning the goods laid out before them. 

The pair moseyed about Arlington Elementary’s ‘Tis the Season Holiday Store like shopping in December is old hat, like they’d been doing it for years. Just two fifth-grade consumers with their sights set on the perfect Christmas gift.

Suddenly, a big smile came across O’Reilly’s face as she reached for something that had caught her eye.

“I’m getting this microphone for my sister,” she said. “She had one at home, but it broke and she was really upset about it. Now I just need to find something for my grandma.”

Thirty-five years ago, Jennifer Christensen shopped in a similar holiday store that had been set up in her elementary school. Now a reading teacher at Arlington Elementary, Christensen remembers the experience vividly. It’s a core memory, one she set out to replicate for today’s Eagles when she became involved in the PTO a handful of years ago.

“I threw it out there, and we started thinking of ways we could make it work and make it a fit for our school,” said Christensen, who is now PTO president. “It took a couple years to get it up and going. Over time, we’ve kind of evolved into what it is today.”

What it is today is pure holiday magic. Christmas tunes and children’s laughter spill out of the store, a vacant room that is transformed into a winter wonderland each December, serving as a North Star of sorts for a writer looking for a heartwarming holiday story.

“Blood, sweat, tears and a lot of paper cuts,” Christensen laughs when asked about what goes into bringing the store to life. “We have this big vision of a gingerbread house and it always seems like a great idea until we get to the fifth hour, and then it’s kind of like, ‘Hey Dr. Morgan, why did you let me do this?’”

Dr. Jacqueline Morgan is Arlington Elementary’s principal, a title she’s held for 10 years now. Coincidentally, the PTO was established 10 years ago. Morgan has never known an Arlington Elementary without a PTO, and she’s sure she never wants to.

“They do so many great things for the school, for teachers and for kids,” Morgan said. “They fundraise all year, they provide teacher grants so that our educators can get the things they need for their classrooms. They provide snacks and treats for teachers to keep them going around the holidays. They host awesome events like the mother-son night and the father-daughter dance. I could go on and on. They just do so many things that make a school year special for our students.”

The holiday store, now in its fifth-year, has evolved into one of everybody’s favorite first-semester traditions, a two-day mini shopping spree that gets everybody into the spirit of the season. In its first couple years of operation, the PTO used a company who would ship the presents to Arlington. Last year, the school received a grant from the Washington County Community Foundation that allowed them to do the shopping on their own. Everything in the store is priced at $10.

From the get-go, the main goal of the holiday store was to teach students to think selflessly. As it turns out, they’re quick learners. The act of gift-giving comes with as much joy as gift-receiving, the young shoppers have discovered.

“It’s kind of a magical feeling in itself being able to put a couple gifts under the tree and to have no one else in your family know what you’re going to give,” said Christensen. “It’s been neat to watch the kids come in and really think about someone else and to see them say, ‘Oh, my dad loves basketball. I’m going to find something for basketball for him.’”

There is a learning curve involved. The younger students, who did their shopping on Monday the 16th, will gravitate towards items they want for themselves. The PTO volunteers manning the store will then kindly remind them that they’re here to shop for someone else.

“There’s so many life lessons that are built into this opportunity for them that really make it a fun and memorable experience for them,” said Christensen.

After the K-4 kids do their shopping on Monday, the 5th and 6th-graders come through on Tuesday. In between, Christensen and her PTO team run to Target, Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart and Kohl’s to restock. They actually shop throughout the year and keep the presents in a storage unit. The PTO provides the money for students who don’t have the funds to shop, too.

It’s a pretty big undertaking, said Morgan. Much bigger than Christensen would ever admit.

“She’s got a great group of ladies working with her, but she does a lot of the heavy lifting and comes up with a lot of the ideas,” Morgan said of Christensen. “And you can just see it. It’s amazing in there. For the kids, it’s like they’re walking into a different place entirely. It’s such a cool experience.”

It’s a two-day whirlwind sprinkled with occasional blasts of nostalgia for the volunteers involved. They’re creating special memories for a bunch of students who they feel deserve special memories.

“That’s why a lot of us get into education in the first place, because we have and cherish those memories,” said Morgan. “So to be able to provide the next generation with that is special. It’s super important that we make these kinds of investments. The kids love it. Their families love it. We have amazing families. We really do.”

Morgan has a son who is now a freshman. She still has the necklace he purchased for her at the very first holiday store. It’s a fond memory shared by a mother and a son who now looks forward to budgeting for gifts for his family each December.

“Two of our PTO members have daughters that are now in the seventh-grade,” Christensen said. “And they were like, ‘What do you mean we don’t get to shop in the store this year?’ So it has become part of our tradition, our culture, and it’s something that is loved by everyone.”

Fairhead’s mission to find something for her sister and her three-year-old cousin ended in success. Satisfied with her finds, she checked out, and had the gifts wrapped on site.

“It’s so cool, because not every fifth-grader gets a chance to buy gifts for the people they love,” she said.

O’Reilly, with gifts for her sister and grandma in hand, nodded in agreement.

“I love the fact that we can actually celebrate what the holiday is really about.”

They Said It!

Jennifer Christensen: "We have a very giving comminity. They really rally behind us whenever we're asking for volunteers or participation. We always have a great turnout. People are willing to step up and be there for us. We're blessed in that respect."

Dr. Jacqueline Morgan: "We're all in it together. It's an amazing day to have an amazing day. I say it every single morning, and I believe it."

Jennifer Christensen: "I love getting up and coming here and being with the kids and the staff. We have an amazing staff who all very much appreciate what we have. We all have bad days, sure, but the bad days are better when you have great people to be with."

Jennifer Christensen: "If you're having a bad day, go see a little person. They will make it better for you. I don't know of too many other jobs where you can walk down the hallways and see somebody who will instantly brighten your day. I just hope that I give a little back to them of what I get from them. That's my goal in life, to give a little bit of what I receive."

Dr. Jacqueline Morgan: "We had alumni back last Saturday. They were honoring the state championship basketball teams, and we heard a few times alumni saying, 'It's weird. The building has changed, but it still feels like home.' That's what we hope to give to kids and families. In 25 years, we want them to come back and have it still feel like home, like the place you grew up."

Jennifer Christensen: "We want them to know that they're going to be loved. To know that this is a place where they're safe and where they know they're going to be learning in great ways. People live here. This building never really shuts down. It's a home to so many people and it's a safe place."