Winter Wonders Awe Children

Have you ever seen a real reindeer up close?

I had my first encounter this week with these gentle and stocky animals when I stopped by to admire the winter wonderland, put on for over 100 children by Executive Director Polly Peace and her staff at The Farm, one of CCC's five day-care facilities in Northern Westchester.

When I got there, a group of toddlers—as quiet as I've ever seen a bunch of three-and-four year-olds—sat, caught up in the tale of Polar Express, the wonderful story of the young boy who travels to the North Pole by train.

When the storyteller got to the part about ringing the bell—and only those who believe in Santa can hear it—she rang, and the fat man in red showed up. Check out the kids' expressions in the featured photo—priceless.

It takes about two weeks to decorate the barn, said Peace. The whole staff gets into the act, arranging twinkling lights, puffy white cotton and cozy holiday rugs, tucking stuffed animals into shelves next to gift-wrapped boxes, which completed the barn's transformation from a nature center to a festive holiday gathering spot.

Outside, children lined up for a photo op with the reindeer. They were tame and friendly, but there was still an aura of wildness to them, if you ask me—not to mention the serious cutlery atop their heads. Mike Jablonski brought them all the way from his reindeer farm in Buffalo, and said they're smart, friendly animals.

CCC buses children in from its other day-care centers to visit the Polar Express during the special two-day event. Peace said that parents are asked to pay a small fee to help defray event costs, but it really wasn't about the money.

"It's just a little bit of magic for the children during the holidays," she said. "We built the event around a beautiful story about believing in magic."

Check out the photo gallery for a peek into the day's activities.