December 13 is a special festive day for kids and the community

FILE PHOTOS BY CARY HAZLEGROVE Lighthouse School students Henry (left) and Charlie Worden at last year's Yuletide fair. People of all ages love the magical colors and celebrations that are part of Christmas festivities, but children are the most excited by this holiday, and the community has several events planned with special features just for them. On December 13, two fundraisers will be held that include lots of treats of the edible kind and special activities of the joyful kind that children will treasure.

The Lighthouse School will hold its eighth annual Yuletide Fair on December 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in its new building at 1 Rugged Road. This fundraiser began at Something Natural and was held in the small former residence on Hooper Farm Road that served as its school for years while the new facility was being financed and built. At the school building that opened last year, there is now room enough to fit a cafe area for the fair where guests will be able to enjoy grilled foods, hot soups and beverages, as well as choose from a wide variety of wrapped baked goods, with some made just for the event by Lighthouse School parent and cookbook author Sarah Leah Chase.

The Yuletide Fair sponsored by the Nantucket Lighthouse School promises to offer crafts, a white elephant table, baked goods and children's activity area. Always beautifully decorated, the Yuletide Fair will have a children's activity area where kids can make crafts they may want to give as gifts. They will be treated to a magic show and storytelling by Mark Carapezza, island musician Molly Glazer will lead the children in carol singing as well as play for event attendees and kids will have opportunities to decorate cookies and gingerbread houses, paint birdhouses and have their faces painted. Lighthouse School parent Cary Hazlegrove will be available to take holiday photographs of children and families and more music will be provided throughout the building by Andy Bullington and Chris Westerlund.

In addition to the baked goods for sale, the fair will have a white elephant section with hand-selected antiques and collectibles for purchase as well as a selection of children's books and Waldorf toys. The natural, heirloom quality Waldorf toys are developmentally appropriate and educational. They are influenced by the child development philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, founder of the international Waldorf schools, whose teachings are integrated within the Lighthouse School curriculum. Further, there will be a variety of handcrafted items for sale made by the students, their parents, school staff and community artisans. The craft component of the fair emphasizes the importance of art in the school's program for its value in hands-on learning.

The Lighthouse School has a current student population of 69 children ages three and a half to 12 who attend grades pre-school through six. The Yuletide Fair proceeds help offset the costs of teachers' salaries, utilities and school supplies.

Also on December 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the annual December Delight will be held at Nantucket High School with proceeds benefitting the Class of 2009 to help pay expenses for the 100 graduating seniors' caps and gowns, their senior ball, their yearbook and the class gift. Many local artisans will be contributing their work to this fundraiser, but there are loads of fun activities planned for children.

When patrons enter the school they will be greeted with the beautiful sight of a live balsam fir, about four feet tall, completely decorated and ready to be purchased and planted after the holidays. The school lobby will also hold a kitchen area where people may order breakfast or lunch and buy homemade goodies from cakes to fudge prepared by the seniors or their parents, and a white elephant table of donated items suitable for gifts.

"The minute you walk in, it's very festive and busy," said Kim Horyn, a parent on the December Delight planning committee, who noted that all the gym space for booths has already been sold.

The main hallway will provide a special area for children with games, tattoos and activities, and Santa will be there from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for photo opportunities with kids.

"It's fun for the whole family," said Horyn.

In the gym, booths will be manned by island craftspeople, businesses and nonprofits. Horyn listed a few as including Beauty and Beyond with bath oils, soaps and related indulgences; The Spirit of Toys with some of the store's merchandise; the NHS Peer Mediation group selling bracelets made by African women; a table of holiday hurricane lamps made by the student class and their parents; St. Mary's Church members selling the church's newest cookbook; booths for STAR (Sports, Theraputic Arts and Recreation) and the Dreamland Foundation; a Boosters Club booth where people can purchase Whaler Pride sweatshirts, scarves, mittens and more and a booth run by Gwen Comatis who will sell her homemade spicy pecans and Christmas ornaments with most of the proceeds going to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

Also on hand will be artisans Barbara Toole with her pottery; Priscilla McIntosh with her jewelry; Karin Sheppard with her weaving; Sarah Hutton with her jewelry; Paul Surprenant's chocolate confections; flower arangements by Joyce Jaskula and unique note cards, coffee mugs and refrigerator magnets designed by Louise Martling's son Kent.

This year there are two noteworthy raffle items at December Delight. One is a lightship basket made by Shelby Dias and the other is Celtics tickets with round-trip airfare to Boston for the game. Further, people shopping at the local or mainland branches of J. McLaughlin from now until Christmas Eve will receive a 15 percent discount on purchases with the funds going to the senior class. Horyn said the December Delight raises an average of $17,000 to $25,000 to offset the senior class expenses. I