Santa's arrival thrills children in Roselle

The holiday season received a festive kickoff in Roselle on Saturday when Santa Claus lit the village tree and visited with dozens of smiling children.

“Is everyone excited about this?” Santa shouted as held the switch for the tree up high.

“Yesssssss!” the children standing around him screamed.

Santa's visit was part of the annual “Celebrate the Season” event, organized jointly by the village and the Roselle Public Library.

Earlier on Saturday afternoon, children listened to a holiday concert by musician and entertainer Bill Hooper. After singing along and munching on some holiday cookies, the kids went outside and waited for Santa to arrive on a Roselle fire truck.

“It's our way of starting the celebration of the holidays,” said Leann Skeens, the library's youth services director.

Cindy Ellis brought her 5-year-old son, Kyle, to the event.

“Now that Thanksgiving is over, he's really excited about Christmas,” Ellis said. “This is a fun way to enjoy the season.”

When Santa finished lighting the tree, which stands just outside the library, he went inside so he could meet with the children one on one. They sat on his lap and talked about what they wanted to see under the Christmas tree this year.

Assisting Santa was Chrissy Reninger, a Lake Park High School graduate and the village's reigning Rose Queen.

“I'm in charge of handing out candy canes to all the kids,” Reninger, a freshman at DePaul University, said. “I'm looking forward to it. The kids are so cute.”