For at least a month, Gerald Carter has not been able to go to the store without having his 4-year-old daughter ask him if he was going to pick up Christmas presents or if Santa was going to bring them all.
She could ask her father anytime. On Sunday, she got the chance to ask Santa.
"She's been bugging me all month," Mr. Carter, 21, of Scranton, said with a laugh as his family waited outside the Keyser Valley Community Center.
Sunday afternoon marked the 11th annual O'Malley family's Christmas party, when Lackawanna County Commissioner Pat O'Malley hosts hundreds of people, providing families with McDonald's fare, Goodfellas pizza and Krispy Kreme doughnuts for an afternoon of dancing, laughing and Santa Claus.
"It's about the kids," Mr. O'Malley said. "It's about providing them with a safe environment to enjoy the day."
Later in the evening, Mr. O'Malley reflected that those who gathered Sunday were lucky to be able to be with their children, in light of Friday's shooting in Newtown, Conn., which left 20 children dead.
"A lot of times we take things for granted," Mr. O'Malley said.
Scranton resident Kevin Shaughnessy, 43, enjoyed the day with his family. Each year he is pleased with the fact that it happens at all.
"It's such a nice thing that Pat O'Malley does," Mr. Shaughnessy said. "He does this every year, and he asks you for no money."
Mr. Shaughnessy's 19-month-old daughter, Peyton, also met Santa Claus on Sunday. Santa asked what she wanted for Christmas, but youth limited her vocabulary. Still, Mr. Shaughnessy thinks Santa got the point.
"She said 'toys' as best as she could," he said.
Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT on Twitter