It is no secret that athletes are competitive in almost everything they do. On Wednesday, the Mavericks had fun at their annual Cookies With Santa event, where they entertained and joined in the fun.

While Richaun Holmes and a few of his teammates were making fun of youngster Dexter Dennis for how well he decorated the Christmas tree, Dennis quickly responded.

He said, “I am definitely a decorator.” “It will be the first Louis Vuitton Christmas tree ever.”

All of the Mavericks’ players showed off their decorating skills for cookies and trees for about 50 kids ages 3 to 8 from the Vogel Alcove, a well-known Dallas group that helps homeless kids and their families get back on their feet.

The event was made even better when Santa Claus came and read “The Night Before Christmas.”

At the end of the night, Luka Dončić, Grant Williams, Tim Hardaway Jr., and their friends gave all the kids gifts to open. The toys ranged from bicycles to small basketball goals and everything in between.

MAVs CEO Cynt Marshall said, “It might be my favorite event because it brings everyone together and that is what we are all about.” “This is the time of year to give.” Some of our players give back all the time, but seeing them give back to these honeys in this way and join in the holiday cheer is truly amazing.

“Everyone is happy. Everyone is happy: the kids, the staff, and the players. “Everyone wants to do this.”

She could not help but smile when she saw Dončić giving cookies to the kids. Luka was giving even more important passes to the kids less than 24 hours after giving 17 assists in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He was also a new dad.

“They worked hard,” Marshall said of the win over LA on Tuesday. “We always tell them they are champions on and off the court,” Yesterday they showed us on the court, and now they are showing us what is inside too. It is also lovely.”

Thanks to Jefferson Dental & Orthodontics, the Mavericks’ official dentist, who sponsors Cookies With Santa every year, the event has become a way for them to spread holiday cheer. It was fun for the kids to hang out with the ManiAACs, the D-Town Crew, and the mascot, Champ.

Along with the gifts, each kid went home with a goodie bag full of holiday gifts and necessities, like clothes and dental kits.

Karen Hughes, president and CEO of Vogel Alcove, said, “It is great for us.” “Our kids look forward to it every year, and I can not believe they do it.” All of our families are homeless or getting back on their feet after being homeless, so any help is greatly appreciated, especially since money is tight right now.

Last Christmas, Vogel helped about 200 kids. So far this year, 134 kids have signed up at their main site, which is just south of downtown Dallas, and another 50 have signed up at their new north center.

As the lead mental health therapist at Vogel Alcove, Tamsyn Morison said that it is impossible to measure how therapeutic Cookies With Santa is for the Mavericks.

“Our kids get to take part in this awesome event every year,” she said. “Our families get to make a wish list and the Mavs get to fulfill that wish list for them. It’s something that each year around the holidays – obviously our families are going through different things – so this is one less thing that they have to worry about, getting the presents under the Christmas tree.

“It is great for them to know that the kids will have a great time and get to take something home with them.”

Maybe. But spreading the joyfulness truly was a group effort.

Vogel Alcove kids came with a small army of teachers and family support staff. The kids were the stars of the show, at least until Santa came.

Everyone was glad to see the man. And both of them felt the same way.

“It makes me feel happy to help with the kids and it’s great working with the Mavericks and the other organizations,” Santa said.

He then said that he had made a stop before for another one of Dallas’s always-helpful professional players.

“I was at Dak Prescott’s foundation event and I told him the Cowboys already gave me the best present by beating the Eagles,” Santa said. “They’re on the naughty list forever.”

That, of course, is because fans at a 1968 Eagles game in Philly not only booed Santa Claus, but threw snowballs at him.

Things were a lot more festive on Wednesday as the Mavericks celebrated the holidays with the kids.

After all, most of the Mavericks’ players are still young enough to be considered big kids themselves.

“It’s amazing to see,” said Dante Exum, who celebrated the birth of his first daughter last week. “So many smiles on the kids’ faces, especially knowing in a couple years, it’s going to be my little kid running around and being excited about Christmas.

“Spread happiness. But I think they’re more excited to see Santa than us players.”