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Santa and his elves arrived in Globe this morning driven not by eight reindeer but the Globe Fire Department. They arrived on schedule at the train depot where a line of kids waited with anticipation to give him their requests for Christmas.
According to Molly Cornwell, who has been working with Santa to coordinate his appearance in Globe each year, the Globe Mainstreet Program hosts the event and underwrites the cost each year. The event attracts nearly 300 people and “grows every year,” says Cornwell. Parents are welcome to take photos, and this year the kids had the opportunity to take home an ornament and mail a letter to the North Pole.
“It’s sort of our kick off to the Christmas season and share a bit of Globe with our family who visits here from California,” said one family who had aunts, uncles and a passel of kids in tow.
Cornwell says the holiday event has been a tradition in Globe for over fifteen years, where it began with the Center for the Arts who hosted Santa for several years until outgrowing the space. When the renovation of the 1916 Arizona Eastern Train Depot was completed in 2008, the event was then moved to the depot where Santa first arrived on the caboose of the Copper Spike Excursion Train.
Janie, a foreign exchange student attending Miami High School this year, volunteered as one of Santa’s helpers and recorded names on the “Naughty-and-Nice” list. “We had to explain to her the naughty and nice tradition,” laughs Cornwell.
Truth be told, there are those who believe that Santa doesn’t really care if kids have been naughty or nice. They point to the fact that there is no definitive data on naughty kids getting fewer presents.
Mostly parents use this age-old tradition as leverage at Christmas time to get their kids to behave. And for some – it works.
But Santa really just loves everyone. Shhh.
Photo by LCGross
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Writer, photographer. Passionate foodie, lover of good books and storytelling. Lives in Globe. Plays in the historic district. Travels when possible.
