Gallery • 8 Photos

Svetlana Baranova

The kids are able to interact with instruments from different countries.

Take off your turkey costume, and put on your Santa suit! Christmas is right around the corner. Join in on the fun, and come to Stones River Mall on December 16, 2017, to have a day filled with holiday spirit!

Santa Around the World begins at 11 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m. For two hours, the children will have access to booths that display different cultures of the world and their holiday traditions. It is a fun experience that is free of expense and full of joy!

This event was organized by students in DECA at Blackman High. The students are Svetlana Baranova, junior; Kendall Clark, senior; and Hanna Nordin, senior. It gives them an opportunity to create an event that opens them to the world of business and the planning that comes along with it.

“The planning begins in August and ends in December. We must keep checking to see if the things we have ordered have come in two weeks earlier. We also begin designing in September. Planning takes about four months and requires careful monitoring,” Baranova stated.

With the long hours and hard work, Santa Around the World is a unique opportunity for Blackman DECA students to showcase their skills.

Visitors travel to five countries: Cuba, Italy, India, Poland, and South Korea. This event also gives other DECA students an opportunity to volunteer.

“First, the family gets a passport and travels with it. They try foods and have their passports stamped at each booth. There is a DECA booth [where] they check to see if they traveled everywhere. There are DJs, face painting, and crafts,” Baranova stated.

Renee Delbridge, DECA sponsor, stated, “It was great seeing all of the children who were excited to be there and participate in all the activities. Even the families were very positive about the whole experience and excited that we had done something that their kids could participate in.”

Denice Paredes, a 2017 Blackman graduate, had the opportunity to join and participate in Santa Around the World last year. She found joy in getting in the holiday spirit and giving families the chance to learn about cultures.

“It was a great experience. It was fun to see little kids getting excited and going from booth to booth to see what different cultures there are,” Paredes stated. She found joy in getting in the holiday spirit and giving families the chance to learn about cultures.

Take the chance and go to Stones River Mall on the 16th to take the time to discover about the cultures of the world with Santa!