
Skylar Warman, 11, left, Arabella Wilson, 12, center, and Payton Warman, 13, made Christmas ornaments this past spring to donate to the Greater Pittston Santa Squad’s 2024 Christmas drive. The girls made approximately 500 such ornaments that will be placed in a child’s Christmas wish bag in December.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
PITTSTON – The Greater Pittston Santa Squad (GPSS) has made quite the impression over the last several years with from not only the thousands of children they’ve helped at Christmastime, but the hundreds of volunteers, sponsors and parents in need of help during the Christmas holiday.
This past week, the tide had turned and Anthony Marranca, the president of GPSS, was impressed when three young girls – two sisters and a cousin, Skylar Warman, 11, Arabella Wilson, 12, and Payton Warman, 13 – delivered presents to the Santa Squad.
“I had a knock at my door a few weeks ago, and it was my friend Chris (Hill) with three of her granddaughters and they put together about 500 handmade Christmas ornaments to give to the Santa Squad to give to the kids,” Marranca explained. “I thought it was a great thing, really nice for kids to take the time to do something to help mothers and fellow students.”
Marranca said each GPSS Christmas wish list bags would get an ornament the trio handmade.
The kind gesture by the children will be rewarded when Marranca and his team will have the girls be honorary captains at the annual Turkey Bowl touch football game that got the GPSS off the ground seven years ago.
“In addition to Santa Claus, Christmas tree, snowmen and snowflake ornaments, the kids donated socks too,” Marranca added. “I think it’s pretty cool.”
“Grandma started making ornaments so we kind of followed after her,” Skylar said, on why they choose to help the GPPP. “We wanted to help people and being kind and sharing kindness and happiness.”
“It was a lot of fun and it took a little time, but in the end it was worth it,” Arabella said. “We just took some of the ideas for ornaments she’s done in the past.”
“We started to make the ornaments right after Christmas,” Payton said. “We would start to make a bunch and then stop and then we’d start again and until March.”
The girls and grandmother, all from Pittston, agreed, the project was fun to do and be with family.
They are looking forward to taking part with the Turkey Bowl and are willing to help GPSS whenever they are needed for the Christmas season.