STERLING — A merry band of elves and Santa Claus himself handed out cookies and hot cocoa to the people who stopped by the Sterling Senior Center Dec. 2 to kick off the town’s Holiday Light Tour.
“I love being able to greet and speak to everyone; it’s more personal,” said Recreation Department Director Shari Gonsorcik of the idea behind the drivethrough event.
Her husband, Andy, and town resident Heidi Grady helped to give out goodies to the steady stream of vehicles that snaked through the parking lot, including one that had a cute puppy sticking its head out the window.
Santa handed out the list of participating residences as he stood near the garage bay, where the Sterling Strummers were spreading holiday cheer from inside. The ukulele musicians treated visitors to cheerful holiday standards, including “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and of course “Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas),” “…the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas day.”
They all enjoyed chatting with those who came through. Andy, whose wife good naturedly referred to as “Mr. Recreation,” remarked that there were many families and that “you see a lot of grandparents with their grandkids.”
The crew donned festive holiday hats and handed out cups of hot cocoa to the excited children and their caregivers, along with delicious cookies baked by Meadowbrook Orchards. You could hear people calling out “Thank you!” as they drove away to take a tour of the town’s most festive homes, the true embodiment of the holiday spirit. For the Holiday Light Tour list and bonus local sights, visit sterling-ma.gov/recreation- department/pages/ holiday-light-tourcookie- kick-off.
