Last Sunday, December 14th, in the small town of Newry in western Maine, over 300 skiing enthusiasts from the United States gathered at Sunday River Resort, wearing Christmas costumes to participate in the annual “Santa Sunday” event, spreading the joyful atmosphere of Christmas in advance.
On that day, Santas took the cable car up the mountain, then skied down from a high point on single or double skis, with their white beards and Santa hats fluttering in the cold wind, creating a spectacular scene. Among them were skiers dressed as the Grinch in green fur, mingling with the Santas in red clothes and red hats.
Although the weather was cold that day, the entire ski resort was filled with a joyful atmosphere, with music, Christmas bells ringing, and, of course, the sound of people laughing and cheering.
In fact, this event is a fundraiser for a local charity organization, aiming to provide funding for educational and entertainment programs for children in the western community of Maine. Each skier who participated in the event only had to pay a relatively small fee to receive a cable car ticket for the day, and also received a ticket to come back for another experience before the end of the year.
“Santa Sunday” skiing event has been held locally for 25 years, and in recent years, it has become increasingly popular among the local community. This year’s fundraising event raised a total of $10,000, and the organizers hope to use this to allow more young people to experience the charm of outdoor recreational activities.