Above: Look for Santa to fly into town again in a month. (Photos by Beth Melo, image from flyer)
The official word is out. Santa is scheduled to return to Southborough the first Sunday in December.
That’s not a typo. This year, the biggest community event that traditionally kicks off the Christmas holiday season will take place on a Sunday morning, December 7th.
(Why the schedule change? Scroll down to the bottom for that explanation.)
Thanks to Southborough Kindergroup, Santa Claus will be making his annual pre-Christmas trip to Southborough on the first weekend in December. Weather permitting, he’ll be flying in by helicopter again.
(Why a helicopter? As I always explained to the young ones – reindeer can only fly on Christmas Eve, and the North Pole is quite a long trip by land. It just makes sense.)
The copter is scheduled to land on the St. Mark’s field at the corner of Routes 30 and 85 at 10:00 am.
(Note: If weather conditions make landing a copter unsafe, look for him to be brought in by fire engine instead.)
The jolly old elf always emerges to greet a crowd buzzing with excitement. (Based on the past few years, and this year’s details, expect Mrs. Claus to be by his side.) After a few minutes, He’ll work his way through the crowd to cross the street.
The Community House (28 Main Street) is where Santa will fulfill his real purpose. Inside, he’ll hear from children what they want for Christmas (while grownups snap pictures and hope their kids’ wishes are reasonable). He’ll hold court there until 1:00 pm.
While waiting their turn inside, kids can enjoy stories read aloud by Mrs. Claus.
Kindergroup promotes that admission to the event is free again, including a free professional photo with Santa and complimentary coffee, hot chocolate and cookies! (That’s all thanks to the sponsors in the flyer below right.)
While Kindergroup organizes the event, they are promoting that this year, Santa Day is “presented by” Bach to Rock.
“Supporting partners” include Boston Executive Helicopters, Falconi Energy, Mathnasium, Main Street Bank, Phaneuf Concrete Cutting, btone Southborough, and Silver Leaf Acupuncture.
There will be other optional activities and food sold by vendors on site. That includes face painting by SkyRise Theater and a food truck.
There is usually other entertainment for families waiting in line (like the character greetings, Christmas Carolers, and/or a crafts/coloring stations pictured below.)
Kindergroup also advises to keep an eye out for an additional, special visitor this year. I’m not sure who that is this year. But last year, a Grinchy looking guy showed up to try (unsuccessfully) to spoil the fun.
[Editor’s Note: Thank you to Owen Jones Photography for two of the photos in the story above. For photo credits, click on thumbnails above. For more pics from last year’s event, click here.]
Santa Day and Holiday Events Schedule
Santa Day usually takes place at noon on the first Saturday in December. I asked organizers about this year’s change, and whether it is a one-time thing. Kindergroup’s Caitlin Betelak explained:
Thank you for reaching out – we completely understand that any shift from past practice can raise questions. This year’s move to Sunday morning comes with a few specific reasons. The primary factors were vendor availability, volunteer availability, and reducing the long-standing conflict with opening day for Town Basketball, which has been a challenge for many families each year. Given those constraints, Sunday morning was the option that allowed us to keep the event running smoothly while still trying to accommodate as many families as possible.
As always, we plan to gather feedback after the event, review what worked well, and evaluate whether this timing is beneficial for families, vendors, and volunteers in future years. If Sunday mornings don’t prove to be the best fit, we’ll take that into account moving forward.
As for other community holiday events that traditionally took place the same day — they are sticking to the 1st Saturday schedule. Those include the Annual Kids Shop, St. Mark’s Christmas Bazaar, the Southborough Library’s Tree Trimming party, and the Friends of the Library’s Holiday Book Sale. Look for me to post about those soon. (In the meantime, you can check the blog calendar here.)
To keep apprised of Christmas/holiday-related community events in Southborough that weekend and throughout the season, click here. And reminder — Kindergroup still has another seasonal community event coming up before Santa Day. The Kids’ Turkey Trot is this Sunday.
