Roselle Lions Club help kids meet Santa

Santa Claus was bad news, at least in Ruby Carreto's mind.

The Roselle toddler recently spotted the red-suited man with the white beard at the library -- and she had screamed and screamed, said her mom, Ann Carreto.

"She wanted nothing to do with him," she said.

Now it was time for Lunch with Santa, an annual event hosted by the Roselle Lions Club, and Ruby could only imagine what was to come.

"She was crying before she even came in," Ann Carreto said.

Ruby's three sisters, on the other hand, couldn't wait to tell St. Nick how good they had been this year.

The Carreto family was among the crowd of about 300 who enjoyed a two-hour lunch at Trinity Lutheran Church's Family Life Center.

The event was free, but many people brought a food item to be donated to the Bloomingdale Food Pantry.

"It's about the spirit of Christmas and bringing Santa to the kids," co-chair Maureen Bell said.

Kids noshed on hot dogs, chips, cookies and ice cream, decorated wooden ornaments and left with pictures of Santa and goodie bags.

The highlight, of course, was Santa's arrival.

As he walked through the doors, parents took pictures and children cheered. "Santa!" they yelled. "There he is!"

Much to Ruby's chagrin, the Carreto family was first in line to visit him.

Her sister, Lily, 3, climbed on Santa's lap like a pro, telling him with a shy smile she wanted a baby doll.

Her mom stood nearby holding Ruby, as the 1-year-old watched the scene suspiciously.

Like Lily, Nico Gemmati, 5, wasn't scared of Santa, either.

The Medinah boy, happily coloring an ornament at his table, was going to ask for a Transformer and a train.

And he'll probably get it, his mom, Griselle Gemmati, said.

"He's been extremely good this year," she said.