Holiday magic fills the air

By EMILY GRILLO

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Santa arrived in Eldred on Saturday, December 16 at 5:00 p.m., on a brightly lit, 50-foot sleigh. Hundreds of little faces lit up in enchantment to see this massive sleigh, packed with holiday characters, pull up to Peck’s Market, its first stop.

Dozens of parked cars filled with children, faces pressed against the windows, were ready awaiting Santa and his pals. When Santa’s voice rose above all the anticipatory chatter in Peck’s parking lot, children and parents, all wide-eyed, ran to greet the sleigh.

Santa, with the help of Mrs. Claus, The Snow Queen, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, the Gingerbread Man, the Nutcracker, a Toy Soldier, two elves and Chrissy the Christmas Mouse greeted the crowds with music, hugs, sugar cookies, candy canes, coloring packets and Furbys for each of the children. Santa and his crew also danced and sang holiday favorites. The Snow Queen, played by Katie Hanson, performed a melodious sing-along version of “White Christmas” together with the crowd.

Santa’s route consisted of four different stops, a total of three hours and 30 miles of travel. The sleigh visited Peck’s Market in Eldred, Circle Park in Glen Spey, the four corners in Barryville and, finally, the Yulan ball field.

With the help of Thunder 102, Mrs. Claus was broadcast over the radio waves, giving everyone an update of their travels throughout the night and an estimated time of arrival at each of the stops.

At Santa’s second stop at Circle Park in Glen Spey, Santa and his crew were welcomed by hundreds of handmade and hand-lit luminaries around the path of the park. Hot chocolate and marshmallows at the town hall warmed the spirits of the children as they waited and greeted Santa.

An estimated 500 people came to see Santa and his friends, undeterred by the 20-degree temperatures, made more biting by a fierce wind chill.

Santa, aka Lou Monteleone, decided to organize this event again because “I believe in the spirit of giving, and this is my way of sharing it. I had a dream of this for several years and decided to act on it. I’m extremely pleased how it all worked out. Seeing the luminaries at Circle Park, the kids in the windows of their houses, the performance of the Snow Queen from the sleigh and hearing the crowd sing along were the highlights of the evening for me. If you couldn’t feel the magic, you can’t be human.”

The spirit of the holidays was alive and well on Saturday. Magic filled the air, the children’s eyes and the hearts of 500 people who, at least for a night, discovered there really is a Santa Claus.