The Greek school PTA Christmas party “Breakfast with Santa” is an annual tradition at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Upper Darby.
Following church services, parishioners, friends and the youth of St. D’s piled in the gym and the event kicked off with breakfast and a sweet sale. Pancakes, eggs, orange juice, and potatoes were all served. All the while, homemade Greek sweets, including, melomakarona and vasilopita were sold.
Kiki Karamatopoulos was one of the PTA members who worked all week preparing the sweets from her home. “We’ve more than doubled our sales from last year,” said Karamatopoulos. A raffle was also part of the midday. Handmade wreaths, games, and icons were raffled to raise funds for the classes.
Emcee, Anna Limbanovnou, also a Greek school teacher introduced the packed gym guests to a series of performances by students in grades, Pre-k through 8th grade. St. Demetrios’ students performed both Greek and English Christmas songs and Kalanda.
The student performance was highlighted by a theatrical performance. “Our theme this year was Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa. Children learned about the traditions and spirit of a Greek Christmas”, said School Program Chair Marilena Drakou. “We’re very excited about this year as well. For the first time, Mrs. Clause will accompany Mr. Claus”, she added.
Following the theatre performance, Mr. & Mrs. Clause made their way through the crowd to the stage, where they sat and talked with kids. The pair then sat with for pictures and lent an ear. Kids got to ask Santa for a present. Some even got a gift from Santa there. The PTA Chairs, Soula Staparounas, and Dimitra Tzimoulis were thanked, along with the event sponsors, donors, and volunteers.