A cheerful buzz of excited talk came from the Girl Scout meeting room at Holy Trinity Church in Palmerton. Nine troops with parents and brothers and sisters gathered as the girls made Christmas ornaments. One from each girl went into a container to be included on the municipal Christmas tree.

Each table offered the parts to create a different ornament. One was for snowmen, with eyebrows, eyes, mouths and noses provided.There were white clothespins that became little snowmen and snowmen based on white plastic spoons.We've been doing it for a lot of years, said Joyce Borger. Some of the older girls have been coming since kindergarten. There was popcorn and cranberries to string by the girls who had finished all the ornaments.Pompoms made colorful ornaments on paper plates.But suddenly there was a "Ho, Ho, Ho" and the jingle of bells with a "Merry Christmas" as Santa entered the room.On the refreshment table one cookie offered the girls and their guests the opportunity to "bite Pattie's head off for 50 cents." Pattie Green is the service unit leader.There were 19 gingerbread houses entered in the first-ever gingerbread house contest including a category for nongingerbread houses, which included one made of vegetables by Vicki Weiseman.Candy Knappenberger said she was considered a sugar artist. She said the "contractors" who did not win received coupons for free food at the refreshment counter to encourage them to try again next year.There were categories by age and for most festive, most unique, sweetest and most representative of Girl Scouting.