11/28/2025
We were so thrilled to be part of such an amazing event!
Hallmark Christmas feeling comes to Shellbrook
-----------
By JORDAN TWISS
Shellbrook Chronicle Reporter
All the hallmarks of a small-town Christmas season were on full display in Shellbrook on Saturday, Nov. 22, when the Shellbrook Kinettes’ Santa Fun Day made its return alongside Moonlight Madness, keeping the community buzzing with Christmas spirit from 11 a.m. until late into the evening.
The day’s festivities began at the Shellbrook Community Hall, where Santa Claus and the Grinch joined the Kinettes to greet children and their families for a day filled with writing letters to Santa, ornament crafting, gingerbread house decorating, cocoa drinking, and all-around fun.
Kinette Kat Mackin-Smith says this was the biggest Santa Fun Day yet, giving the credit for the planning and ex*****on to committee members Kim LaMotte and Sam Borix.
“The entire Kinette team loves this event, either as volunteers or attendees with their own kids, because it really just kicks off the holiday season in the very best way,” she said.
“A highlight for me is seeing the kids light up when they see Santa, or shy away when they see the Grinch. It is so fun to watch all the different reactions to those two characters, and see kids interacting with them. Hard to say who is more popular.”
Based on last year’s attendance, the Kinettes prepared to host 150 kids for the day. In the end, they welcomed more than 175 children, along with their families, meaning the Community Hall was busy from the time the doors opened until just before things wrapped up at 3 p.m.
In addition to providing fun for kids, Santa Fun Day supports the Shellbrook and Area Ministerial Food Bank by asking attendees to donate non-perishable food items as opposed to paying an entry fee. Though no formal count of items was taken, Mackin-Smith says the Kinettes have four large boxes of items to donate to the food bank.
“Events like Santa Fun Day are important for Shellbrook because they bring people together — long-time residents, new families, and people of all ages sharing a fun, positive community experience,” Mackin-Smith said. “It’s a chance to create memories, support local initiatives, and kick off the holiday season in a meaningful, family-friendly way.”
Two hours after Santa Fun Day, as the lights along Main Street came on with the setting of the sun and the community Christmas tree was lighting up the end of Main Street (topped with an angel made by Beau “Lac” Funeral Home), Moonlight Madness began.
Organized by a committee that includes Shari Crawford (Shellbrook Home Hardware), Ian Clark (Lake Country Wildlife Federation), Pauline Mason (Shellbrook Royal Purple) and Leola Skrupski, Moonlight Madness is a revival of a long-time Shellbrook Christmas tradition that shines a bright spotlight on the local business community.
The evening sees local businesses (not just those on Main Street) open their doors or stay open late to offer deals to early Christmas shoppers and activities for kids to take part in. There’s also plenty of hot chocolate and other treats to go around.
Adding to the plethora of things to do and see, the Shellbrook Senior Citizen’s Centre became a Mistletoe Market, providing a bounty of vendors’ wares to peruse, the Shellbrook Community Hall had inflatables from Diskotek set up to give kids a warm place to play, Murray Hannigan rounded up a crew of Christmas carollers to serenade attendees, and Santa decided to hang around for more visiting.
“We had a great turnout for the Moonlight Madness event this year and couldn’t have asked for better weather,” said Shari Crawford. “It seemed like this was our biggest turnout so far with more people moving around the entire time from 5 to 9 p.m.”
Looking at this year’s Moonlight Madness by the numbers, the Shellbrook Royal Purple put together 150 bingo sheets and treat bags for kids, as well as 150 bags of cotton candy — all of which were gone well before the evening was through.
Meanwhile, at the Lake Country Wildlife Federation fire pit on Main Street, 300 hot dogs and smokies were sold to hungry customers, and over at TJ Disposals, 500 tickets were sold for the gopher shoot/potato cannon.
Finally, Taya M’s Hometown Photo Studio sold 85 dirty sodas and did 26 photo shoots throughout the evening, and Evergreen Oasis, which is a little ways from Main Street, handed out 125 Italian sodas.
“It’s wonderful that we have so many businesses that participate in this event... and the volunteers who come out and help get everything set up and running,” Crawford said.
-----------
Read the rest of this week’s news by picking up a copy of the paper at your local newspaper bin, or view this week's edition on either of our websites:
www.shellbrookchronicle .com
www.spiritwoodherald .com
**To visit either site, remove the space before the ".com" as this post will be immediately removed by Meta if we link directly to our own website.**
