Fifteen fourth graders each grabbed their colorful and glittery ornaments from the box and placed them carefully and purposefully on the Christmas tree in the Governor’s Mansion.
As they did this on Monday morning, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and first lady Abby Cox visited with them, asking about the ornaments and decorations they had made.
The students were invited from North Park Elementary in Tremonton as part of a tradition in which one class from around the state is brought to the mansion each year to help the governor and first lady decorate for Christmas.
Later, the students turned the tables on the pair, asking the governor questions about his job and goals for the state.
Under the direction of their teacher, Jenny Rogers, the kids made by hand each of the decorations and ornaments, following the mansion’s Christmas theme for this year: “Looking Up: A Season of Wonder.”
When Rogers discussed the theme with her students, their thoughts turned to the northern lights, she said. So the students made ball ornaments filled with different colors of glitter.
They also made snowflakes out of popsicle sticks and little snowmen to be placed on the mantel.
“It really is about that season of wonder, that time ... to remember as a little kid how fun Christmastime is and the holiday season is.”
— First lady Abby Cox
“This was the kids’ highlight; we’re finding that creativity is kind of harder to find among kids, so this has been good to get kids channeling that creative brain,” Rogers added.
Before they decorated the tree and mantel, the students were welcomed to the mansion by the governor and first lady.
“Pretty cool place, isn’t it?” Gov. Cox said to the students. “This is our favorite time here. This is always a beautiful place. It’s more beautiful when we have the Christmas trees up and the lights and everything about the holidays.”
When asked what they thought of the mansion, one student, Deryck Fronk, enthusiastically responded, saying, “It looks incredible.”
Abby Cox explained more about the theme for the decorations this year, “It really is about that season of wonder, that time ... to remember as a little kid how fun Christmastime is and the holiday season is.”
Rogers shared that she was on maternity leave when she found out her class had been given this opportunity, but it made her so excited that she wanted to tell her students herself instead of having a substitute teacher do it.
“It is such a privilege, we are really so grateful,” she said.
She added that, throughout December, she will incorporate Christmas activities into learning and that helps the students be more engaged.
While the kids were at the Governor’s Mansion, the first lady also read a few children’s books to her guests. The first was a Christmas book titled “Bear Stays Up for Christmas.” She read two other books that she said her kids loved when they were younger: “‘I Don’t Care!’ Said the Bear” and “The Day the Goose Got Loose.” She then spoke to the kids about how important reading is.
“I will just tell you that I’m really excited about reading. I think we don’t read enough anymore,” the first lady said. “It’s really good for our brains, right? Put down the phones and screens. Just read.”
She also invited the young students to read to their siblings, their parents and even their grandparents.
Later, Abby Cox spoke to the Deseret News about the importance of reading: “We need to make sure kiddos are reading. We need to make sure adults are reading. It starts with our kiddos, and it starts with us as adults modeling what reading does for us, how much joy it brings to us.”
After giving the children a tour of the mansion, Gov. Cox gave them time to ask him questions, with each student getting a chance to ask him a question.
They asked him if he knew President Donald Trump, how he keeps Utah safe, whether he gets free time and how he became governor.
The governor also shared that his favorite parts of his day are when he gets to meet with different people from across the state, especially kids. He told the students that his favorite part of his day that day was meeting with them.
As the students were leaving the mansion and saying goodbye to Gov. Cox, one of the students, Riggin Adams, turned to him and said, “If there’s anything you need help with, just ask us.”