Small taste of Christmas spirit in Carol Stream

The Christmas Store in Carol Stream was open for business on Saturday, and it couldn't have been busier.

But this store wasn't just any holiday shop.

It was run by several hundred volunteers.

It was only open for one day.

And it featured more than 3,000 new gifts -- all donated -- for kids of every age.

The annual Christmas Store is hosted by the Outreach Community Center, which serves the southeast section of Carol Stream.

Each year, the store gives needier parents a chance to buy gifts for their kids at 75 percent off the retail price.

Tables were set up in the community center gym, displaying gifts organized by gender and age.

A Dora the Explorer doll was $3. Axe Cologne, popular among high school boys, was $2.50. A DVD player was $7.50.

Parents in the neighborhood had to set up appointments to shop.

They can buy two gifts per child. Volunteers help them pick out gifts, organize and wrap presents, baby-sit their kids and serve refreshments.

"It's the Community Center's gift to our neighborhood," said center director Vanessa Roth.

Shopper Pam Keys was looking for gifts for her three junior high boys.

One wanted an MP3 player, but that's "out of my budget," she said.

But she did find a video game another child wanted, as well as a basketball hoop with a light-up rim.

"I don't have much money, and this really helps," she said of the store. "It gives me an opportunity to buy more for them."

Organizers say they try hard to run the Christmas shop in a dignified manner, with short wait lines and a good selection of toys.

The gifts come from individual and group drives. Registries are created at Target and Wal-Mart.

One family collects gifts each year in honor of a family member who died of cancer, volunteer Sarah Bradley said.

Another 8-year-old girl asked for gifts for the store instead of presents at her birthday party.

"Even when they're making reservations, families say, 'You have no idea what this means to me,' " Bradley said.