As part of Mercyhurst’s annual Christmas preparations, the college hosted children from the Erie community for a day of fun and holiday cheer.

On Saturday, Dec. 12, approximately 100 children visited Mercyhurst for Christmas on Campus.

The children were each assigned a Mercyhurst student as their buddy for the day. Students helped the children carry around bags full of Christmas goodies, decorate cookies and make various crafts.

The children participated in activities such as face painting and paper hat making.

Santa and Mrs. Claus, played by freshmen Braiden Ross and Miranda Flores, presented a gift to each child.

Tyler Stauffer photo: Santa delivered gifts to children at Christmas on Campus.

The children were provided snacks, including pizza, candy and cookies.

Campus Ministry provided entertainment for the children by dressing as various children’s television and movie characters. The costumes included Cinderella, SpongeBob, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Pocahontas, Buzz and Woody.

The crafts were provided by various clubs on campus.

“Seeing all the little kids was great,” freshman Giulia Parli said. “They were so cute and so excited for Christmas.”

Christmas on Campus has been a fixture of the holiday season for the past seven years.