It’s a special moment when your child gives you a Christmas gift that you did not buy for them.
Trendz by Poppy Ltd invites children of all ages to come in and shop discounted items for anyone.
“That child is already happy that Santa came, but they also have it in their heart and the sparkle in their eye to see mom opening up something really special that they themselves picked up,” Becky Hoover, owner of Trendz by Poppy Ltd, said.
Hoover said she loved seeing children come in with a parent or grandparent to browse. It reminded her of her four grown-up boys and how important family is during the holidays.
“I remember doing this with my child, my children, through school. We would send a list, send some money to school in an envelope, and they would come home so excited. They had that sparkle in their eye because they got grandpa this favorite pen or the favorite eraser that they may have bought for a sibling. It’s really exciting to see the children come in and light up, ” Hoover said.
If you need help shopping, the boutique has some special helpers: Santa’s elves.
Santa sent Nutmeg the elf to help the children find gifts for member of their families.
“I am here to help all of the kids today pick out some gifts for their parents, or grandparents or dads or brothers. And I also came to pick up our letter from the kids and these are the letter that Santa Claus has written back to the children that we’ll be delivering,” Nutmeg said.
Nutmeg and some of her family members were also sent to Altoona to check in on some of the boys and girls.
“Sometimes nobody sees us, but we just want to see what’s going on and which children maybe need a little something or a little boost to make them a little bit better,” Nutmeg said.
The event ends Thursday at 7 p.m., but Hoover said she’ll keep the gift tables up until everything is sold out.
If you have not written your letter to Santa, don’t worry. Nutmeg will pass along your list.
“They can tell me and I’ll relay that message back to Santa Claus,” Nutmeg said.