May God Bless & Keep You Always

Every year for the past 12 years or so, Santa Claus visits the City of Murrieta. But he doesn't just visit the mall or the City Center, Santa climbs aboard a city sleigh and visits EVERY neighborhood in town - nearly 400 stops. When you're driving clients around town they invariably ask - "What's with all the big stars painted on the streets"? Well, that's where Santa stops.

One of our first City Councilors Jack van Haaster started the tradition years ago. Jack would get all dressed up and ride around the town, which numbered about 20,000 people then, and hand out candy canes and collect canned goods and toys for the needy. The first couple years he just rode around for a couple nights and was done. But demand grew - both for Santa visits and for food for the pantries - so the Santa run grew from 2 nights to 4 nights to a week. Finally about 10 years ago, Jack decided to share the fun and he recruited more Santa's as the city grew to 60,000, then 80,000 and finally hitting 100,000+ a couple years back. There were three or four of us that volunteered and we'd be traveling 3 or 4 nights each.

When even that got out of hand, the City expanded the numbers of sleighs to 2, then 3. This year there were 4 sleighs out every night for 2 weeks. Each sleigh has a Santa, a half-dozen carolers, a Frosty and a Rudolf character and a support staff to hand out the thousands of candy canes and collect the truckloads of food and toys. It is a spectacular and successful program and a very special reminder to our citizens of what our small town used to be like. 

Even in a year like this one, during which our city became one of the foreclosure capitols of the country, the holiday spirit shines through the little faces that greet us at every stop. It's impossible to maintain a bah-humbug attitude when you get smothered with hugs and kisses by these wonderful little people who believe with all their hearts. So many of the little ones look at you with these HUGE eyes and you ARE Santa for them - life is simple and wonderful for them at that moment. And it is for me too. 

This year Wii was the #1 requested item, joining previous years grabbers from iPods to Playstations, dolls, bikes & ponies. Of course there's always one or two who get old Santa all misty when all they want is their Daddy home from Iraq or for their family to be all together.

The City is kind enough to let me borrow the suit a few days so I can do some private Santa work as well. One stop on  my list is the home where my Aunt stays. She is 95 years young and sharp as a tack but because of her arthritis she can't live alone anymore, especially since the town she lived in is at 9,000' elevation and has 20' of snow right now. So she stays down here close to us in a private managed care home with four other delightful little ladies of similar vintage. The look on their faces when Santa comes walking in is as priceless as it is with the little ones. In their own way, these folks believe too and even though some may not remember what they had for lunch, they still remember Christmas when they were little ones. These old gals haven't sat on Santa's lap for 70 or 80 years but they love to tell me how they've misbehaved. 

So in this way I get to be the first Santa for a lot of little ones and I have also been the last Santa for some others. Three years ago was my Mom's last Christmas and I'll forever cherish the picture of her on my lap beaming at 'her' Santa. I've had relatives come up months after thanking me for a last precious memory and we have a little cry and all's right with the world again.

This year was an extra special one for me. In addition to my Aunt Irene

I also got to be Santa for my Granddaughter (step) McKena (who had no idea Santa was Grandpa Gene).

My 6 week old Grandson (step) Ian

And my 6 DAY old Grandson Hudson. What a rush.