Every Halkirk area youth that wanted a moment of Santa Claus' attention had the opportunity to command it on Sunday, Dec. 4 at the annual Halkirk Elks Santa Day breakfast.
The doors of the Halkirk Hall opened at 9 a.m. sharp on Sunday morning, serving up delicious pancakes, ham, sausages, scrambled eggs and fruit, with a side of orange juice, tea or coffee.
The Elks worked hard in the kitchen – and one brave Elk cooked sausages outside in the snow – to make sure that everyone had a chance to fill their plates, and come back for seconds if they dared. Volunteers were constantly refilling serving dishes as the hungry guests cleaned out the trays as quick as they were served.
Suzanne Sorensen came with her husband Kirk and their two daughters, Brielle and Alerie, to enjoy breakfast, and give their young girls a chance to deliver their holiday hopes and dreams to Santa himself. The girls waited with barely contained eagerness for Santa Claus to arrive.
The family, which live south of Halkirk, said they never miss the event and that they look forward to it every year.
The jolly bearded man didn't show up in his red suit until shortly after 10 a.m., and heralded his arrival through the ringing of sleigh bells. By the time Santa Claus arrived at the breakfast, almost 80 adults had come through the kitchen for breakfast, plus about 50 kids.
That was all it took for the gathered children to become excited; one young boy, Taylem Beaudoin, raced across the hall and launched himself at Santa Claus for a giant hug, to the delight of everyone watching.
The youth, ranging from babes in arm to young teenagers, all took a turn with Santa Claus, sitting on his knee before a fireplace set up on the stage. When it was Beaudoin's turn, he informed Santa Claus that he wanted a monster truck for Christmas, and that he'd name the truck "Nothing."
Beaudoin's dad joked, "Nothing's chasing the dog. Nothing's running over my sister."
Each child who visited with Santa Claus received a treat bag full of a mix of candy, fruit, and other goodies. The youngest also received a book to help them learn to read, or to read along with mom and dad.
"Look at that," Beaudoin said matter-of-factly, as the four-year-old pulled chocolate after chocolate from his treat bag. "Santa's actually a nice guy!"
According to Dennis Cordel, the past exalted ruler of the Halkirk Elks, the annual breakfast and visit with Santa Claus has been going on for about four decades.
"The event is more or less for the community," Cordel said, noting that while it does make a little bit of money for the Elks, it's not much, – nor the goal of the day.
The big challenge every year is convincing Santa Claus to escape his North Pole workshop, given how close to Christmas the breakfast is and how many other children he has to visit. The Elks even had to give him a special place to park his sleigh with its reindeer, over on Railway Avenue.
"He's very busy," Cordel said. "But he's been doing this for 40 years and he's not going to stop soon."