By Mary Stadnyk | News Editor

There’s the familiar saying: “Shop ‘till you drop.”

And then there’s “Drop and Shop,” an annual tradition in St. Paul Parish, Princeton, that’s held on a Friday evening a few weeks before Christmas.

Parents drop their kids off at the parish around 6:30 p.m., and while the children enjoy a variety of activities – decorating cookies, watching Christmas videos, making arts and crafts and singing Christmas carols – their parents can have a few hours to themselves – without their little ones in tow. Some parents might go Christmas shopping; other parents might choose to go out to dinner, see a movie or take a leisurely stroll along Nassau Street and around the Princeton University campus.

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“It’s a win-win all the way around,” said Anne Marie Calderone, former parish religious education coordinator, who helped to start “Drop and Shop” in 2002.

“’Drop and Shop’s” first year drew 18 children, Calderone recalled, and from there the program “took off like wildfire.” One year, there were as many as 80 youngsters who turned out.

“ ‘Drop and Shop’ is kind of like a gift from the parish to the parents,” Calderone said. “The parents love it and the kids have a good time.”

Calderone, along with Martin Arsenault, current parish pastoral associate for faith formation, explained that the children who attend typically range in ages four to 10. The planned activities are run by eighth graders in the parish school and religious education program, although some high school students enjoy returning each year to help out. There are also several adults on hand to supervise.

“This could be a good Confirmation service project for eighth graders,” Arsenault said, then noted that although there is no fee, a $25 donation per family is suggested, and the money collected is given to a charity selected by the older students.

At this year’s “Drop and Shop,” which was held Dec. 2 and attended by 30 youngsters, student volunteer Alex Armenti said he saw “Drop and Shop” as a way to help out his parish as well as earn community service credit for the Boy Scouts.

“I think this is a good idea,” he said. “It because it gives parents a break and if the parents go shopping, this way they can go without their kids seeing any of the Christmas presents, especially if the gifts are for them.”

Skyler Gonzalez, an 11th grader in South Brunswick High School who continues to serve St. Paul’s as a teacher’s aide, said she volunteered because she “loves working with little kids and it’s a way for me to get to know more people in the parish.”

Deacon Jim Knipper, who was one of the adult supervisors, smiled when he said that he enjoys “seeing the look on the parents’ faces as they drop their kids off and get ready to go out for the evening.”

“As the father of four boys, I can appreciate how the parents feel,” he said.

“And the kids have a good time,” he said. “There have been times when the parents came to pick the kids up and the kids didn’t want to leave. They were having fun and they wanted to stay.”