A fantastical world from a 3-foot-tall perspective filled the classrooms, greenhouse and woodshop of the Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department's multi-purpose building this week.
Led by a sprite named Jingles, more than 900 preschoolers met characters, like Bubbles and King Frostberry, who needed their help preparing for Christmas.
They also visited the Queen's Bakery, where they swirled icing and sprinkles on their own cookies to take home. And they visited Santa and his elves, who took a few days off from the North Pole frenzy.
"It's a terribly busy season, but all of the Jefferson City kids seem to be pretty good," Santa said. "I enjoy the looks on the kids' faces when they see that I'm here."
Hallways were decorated on both sides and from the ceilings. And each room had its own theme from a forested hovel to a king's mountain-top castle.
The department's staff fills the roles of characters, elves and helpers, making this the 12th year for such a large-scale event.
The department's employees may have as much fun setting up the atmosphere as the children do following the "hunt," organizer Angie Toebben said.
Many of the significant pieces that transform the modern-day world into fantasy were made by George Land, who makes benches and signs most of the year.
And the script, which changes each year, was written by Toebben, parks' youth programs supervisor.
"It's fun and rewarding," she said. "It's a great 'Christmas magic' event."
Each year, the event has grown and evolved.
The first year was an imitation of an Easter egg hunt, with candy canes hung from the trees in Memorial Park. Then they added a little Santa house with an employee in a Frosty the Snowman costume.
When they moved to Shikles Auditorium, they drew from the Runge Nature Center's former Haunted Habitats design with walk-around stations.
A few years ago, the project received a boost when the North Jefferson City multi-purpose building became available. The individual classrooms provide an efficient setting.
However, the real addition came with Land's woodshop, which transforms into "Santa's Workshop," where students get to hammer on wooden toys.
His favorite theme has been "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," where he built a "Whoville" and designed Seussical-styled gizmos and gadgets.
Toebben said her favorite was a cruise ship, where they created an underwater setting complete with a mermaid.
She added the pirate ship was fun, and the Candyland rendition likely will be repeated in the future.
Last year's script focused more on bully prevention.
This year, the theme was generally uplifting through fantastical characters.
Although the tiny visitors might get restless or distracted, their overall experiences are lasting.
"We've been doing this forever," said Janet Clark, a 21-year teacher at Small Fry Cooperative Preschool. "They've been talking about this since Thanksgiving.
"It's an awesome experience because so many kids get to do this."