Morris Moore, a preschooler in Waukegan, was thinking about what may come his way on Dec. 25 as he was busy decorating Christmas cookies and watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” on Saturday morning.
“I want a superhero,” he said. “I like all kinds of them. I want to make snow angels in a snow house,” he added, referring to what he hopes to do on Christmas Day.
Morris was making and decorating Christmas cookies Saturday at the Jane Addams Center in Waukegan’s Bowen Park, while less than a quarter-mile away, the Waukegan Historical Society was preparing for a Victorian Christmas as the Waukegan Park District began its holiday season.
The Park District is planning a wide variety of events for the holidays, including cookie-making, a sing-along with the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra, a Zumba night with a toy for admission, live theater and the 27th-annual Polar Plunge.
Maria Contreras, the district’s communications supervisor, said, “The Waukegan Park District is celebrating the holiday season with programs and events for individuals and families.”
As preschool children arrived at the Addams Center with parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, they were given dough and cookie cutters. After working the dough into different shapes, including Christmas trees, they watched the movie as the cookies were baking.
Jordan White, a recreation specialist with the Park District, said he and coworkers oversaw the baking in the kitchen. They returned the baked cookies to the participants for decoration with icing and sprinkles.
“This is a nice age for this activity,” White said. “We don’t have too many activities for preschool children. It’s nice to do something like this for them. We try to do it as often as we can.”
White said, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a classic holiday movie for youngsters to watch while waiting for the cookies to come out of the oven. They also had coloring sheets and crayons while they waited.
“It’s a classic,” White said. “I felt it was a good video for them even if they’ve seen it before.”
As the cookie event was finishing, members of the historical society were getting ready to welcome visitors to the Haines House Museum in Bowen Park for the organization’s annual open house and Victorian Christmas.
Lori Nerheim, the society’s president, said the Haines House was built in 1843, seven years after Queen Victoria took the English throne, starting the Victorian era. It lasted until her death in 1901. Waukegan was still Little Fort at the time, not adopting its present name until 1849.
When the land, which is now Bowen Park — the Park District acquired it in 1963 — was a summer camp for Jane Addams Hull House, Nerheim said it was the home of one of the camp officials. Saturday, it was decorated for Christmas much the way it was around 1870.
“This is part of Waukegan’s holiday tradition,” Nerheim said. “The lights on the tree were candles then,” she added, referring to the Victorian-era decorated Christmas tree in the living room. “We’re showing what life was like in Waukegan then.”
Nancy Coolley of Lake Forest was one of the guests who came to take a look at the holiday decorations at Haines House. She has come to see it in the past and liked what she saw this year.
“This is real charming,” Coolley said. “At the turn of the (20th) century, this is how one decorated for Christmas,” she added.
Along with the cookie-making and Victorian Christmas last weekend, the Park District also had Jingle Bell Rock Out and a parent and child art park on Saturday. Sunday was the annual sing-along to Handel’s Messiah and Christmas carols with the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra and Concert Chorus.
A Zumba fitness night and toy drive is planned for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Fieldhouse Sports, Fitness & Aquatics Center.
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” takes place at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Jack Benny Center for the Performing Arts in Bowen Park. Santa Claus will be available for pictures from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Addams Center.
A full list of all holiday activities is available on the Park District website.
