NILES — The reasons this holiday season might prove a bit more jubilant for Adrianne Medve and her brother, Christopher Medve, resemble red-and-white uppercase “J’s.”

“They’ve found 67 of them so far,” the siblings’ father, Tom Medve, said.

He was referring to the number of candy canes Christopher, 6, and Adrianne, 10, found scattered throughout the Ward-Thomas House, 503 Brown St., which was one of four locations for Saturday’s 12th annual McKinley Christmas.

The other three sites at which a variety of holiday-related activities, tours, arts and crafts, and other activities took place were the William McKinley Birthplace Home, 40 S. Main St., Von Isley Estate, 547 S. Main, and the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Museum, 40 N. Main St.

During the four-hour, family- and holiday-oriented gatherings, visitors were given passports to be stamped on all five panels, then entered into a drawing to win a gift card prize basket. To receive the award, they were required to visit all four locations and donate at least one box of cereal, at any of the four sites, to benefit Niles Community Services.

Additional activities included opportunities to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music with the Take II Band, Christmas stories and crafts for children and a Festival of Trees display in the museum.

Acting as a guide in the Ward-Thomas House, through which numerous candy canes were placed or hung, was Meredith Elliott, a docent who explained to visitors part of the home’s history, including that it had been built in the 1860s, during the Civil War. The stately mansion also is home to the Niles Historical Society.

The home’s builder was James Ward, a prominent Niles industrialist and a pioneer in the iron industry. The second owners were John and Margaret Thomas, who came from Wales before founding the Niles Firebrick Co., then Mahoning Valley Steel.

The home is open 2 to 5 p.m. the first Sunday of each month, Elliott said, adding that the elaborate Christmas display of trees, ornaments, lights and decorations inside will be up through Jan. 5.

In addition, those who stopped at the mid-19th century home were able to play an old-fashioned game of dropping clothespins into glass milk bottles, something that was “a big crowd pleaser in the 1800s,” Elliott added.

“It was set up by different organizations and individuals,” Belinda Weiss said, referring to the Festival of Trees in the McKinley Museum.

The eye-catching attraction features 38 trees of all colors, sizes and light combinations and configurations, for which visitors can vote on their three favorite ones, Weiss, museum director, added. Hundreds of ballots already have been submitted, she said, adding that the trees will be on display through Dec. 27.

Each organization was tasked with developing its own theme, she noted.

The North Pole’s most prolific and famous couple found time to entertain those at the museum with whom they crossed paths. Among those who got to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus were Aaro Fabian, 3, and his sister, Emery Fabian, 5, of Youngstown.

The McKinley Christmas event finds its way every year onto the family’s to-do and to-see lists, the siblings’ mother, Ciana Fabian, said.

The gathering carries special meaning for her, in part because the family has lost a few loved ones over the last few years, so it serves as a powerful reminder of what is truly important, endearing and enduring, Ciana Fabian explained.

The occasion also provides another avenue for her to hold fast to positive memories and focus much more on the holiday’s true value of giving to others and being thankful instead of on its commercialization, she added.

Among the festivities at the Von Isley Estate was a two-day annual craft show, as well as tours of the three-story home that was built in 1914. A wide array of Christmas ornaments, light-up snowman figures, wooden birdhouses, vintage ice-skate wreaths and other items were being sold at the show.

The vendors included Katie Angel, who runs a Leavittsburg business called Fun & Function Creations, which she established about four months ago.

“I try to do a little of everything,” Angel, who began crocheting 15 years ago, said.

Part of the “everything” includes crafting brightly-colored dragons, unicorns, stockings, flowered stress balls, elephants and other creations from acrylic or chenille yarn, which is thick, durable and soft fabric with a fuzzy texture.

Also, the McKinley Birthplace Home was abuzz with activities such as a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts, and music.