The Lions Club Of Land O’ Lakes Roar

Have you ever felt that no matter how many times you explained something you just fell short? I have been feeling that lately in explaining Santa’s Workshop. I keep receiving questions from the community about it. I find myself repeating same words: magical – all in awe – nothing compares to it – 40 elves ages 12 to 93 … All true statements. Do they explain the Workshop? If they did, I would not be receiving questions as we approach the 4th year of holding it.

In this Roar I will attempt to explain Santa’s Workshop. As President of the Lions Club of Land O’ Lakes in 2022, I added a new activity, Santa’s Workshop, to the Club Christmases: Parade and Market Extravaganza.

A new club member, Savanaugh, loved the idea of creating that space. She built scenes that change the entire look of our club. She put in hundreds of hours to design lollipops to cover dart boards on our walls, fabrics with huge gingerbread men to cover the wall of Melvin Jones Awards. She would build large structures like a 6 feet snowman.

Builders in the club joined the team. Paul built a conveyer belt for toys, Red built wooden toys. And so much more.

Savanaugh prepped material per kid at stations. Around ten stations would be prepped. To put that in numbers, she preps around 500 or more individual craft material for kids to go through.

Bakers of the club joined and would prepare hundreds of treats for everyone.

For three hours every year our club transforms into a fantasy world. The elves are members of the club and members of the community dress up to entertain kids at different stations. With forty elves the entire hall is filled with colors and movement.

I create the story every year. As kids walk in, I tell them, in a few words, the storyline of that year. I leave it to them to see the story unfold before their eyes. From elves fighting with snowballs, to a mad scientist blowing up things, to Santa leading a science team and an elfette-in-training.

Kids walk station to station creating crafts, elves keep moving around, décor mesmerizes everyone and the story builds up step by step.

Three hours. Hundreds of crafts. Forty elves. Enchanting décor. A storyteller. And Santa. This year’s: Dec 6, 2025.

I hope this explains Santa’s Workshop to everyone in town, as well as to the lady with her child at Dollarama in Peterborough who happened to hear about Santa’s Workshop in Northbrook.

Till we meet again in a Roar.