The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Styles with Santa starts holiday season
Eden off the Avenue offers free hair, nail services to kids, visit from Santa
A trip to the salon to get their hair styled and nails painted is a special day for any young girl.
Add Santa Claus to the equation and tie it all together for a good cause and it becomes a treasured holiday experience.
About 130 girls covering a wide range of ages kicked off the Christmas season at the Styles with Santa event at Eden off the Avenue salon in Mentor on Nov. 26.
Each child had the opportunity to have their hair styled and nails painted for free before they had a photo op with Santa. The salon accepted donations for “Help Me Color a Rainbow,” a charity started by a girl in Chardon to raise funds to provide crayons to local hospitals.
Many parents brought a box of new crayons or a monetary donation for the organization.
Salon owner Jess Lucas said a total of 22 volunteers — including some hair stylists from other local salons — gave their time on a Sunday morning to provide a memorable event for the young girls and hopefully raise some money for a worthy cause in the process.
“It starts out the holiday season with a little magic,” Lucas said. “The kids and the parents seem to really love it and they keep coming back.”
The appointments for the fourth Styles with Santa were booked out for the more than 3-hour session with a waiting list and the large salon was nearly filled at every turn.
Santa Claus had his own area where he and Mrs. Claus waited for the girls to finish their makeover session before taking a seat and making a Christmas wish.
Dave Litterst has been donning the red suit and hat for 26 years and he has been at all of
the Styles with Santa events at the salon. He said he enjoys everything about the way Lucas and her crew run the day.
“They are great to work with and everything goes so smoothly,” Litterst said. “And the kids are all dressed so well and look so nice after they get their hair and nails done and you can tell how excited they are to be here and I enjoy being part of it.”
Painesville resident Jen Kalin has been bringing her 9-year old daughter Sloane to the event since it started.
“Kids love to be pampered and when you mix in Santa Claus, you just can’t ask for a better day,” Kalin said. “It is her favorite holiday event and great way to start the season. That is why we do it every year.”
Mentor resident Nicole Laccheo watched as her daughter, Olivia, had her hair styled by Mallory Boldan.
Laccheo said the event sets the tone for the season even though Christmas is still a month away.
“It gets the kids into the holiday spirit and it is a special way to spend the day,” Laccheo said.
Boldan added that donating her time to bring joy to young girls as well as raising awareness for a good cause is well worth it, especially seeing the girls reaction to undergoing a full makeover and getting a visit from Santa.
“When the girls are all done up and they have those smiles on their face and Santa comes in and rings the bell, it is just about the cutest thing you have ever seen,” Boldan said.