Claus is on his way
Most came running outside without coats. Others were shoeless, and one 8-year-old girl came flying across her front lawn with sopping wet hair. Santa Claus is coming to town, and in many Mead neighborhoods, he’s riding a 1941 firetruck decorated with holiday lights and filling the streets with bouncy Christmas jingles. Volunteer firefighters, from the Spokane City Fire Department Local 29 to District 9 in Mead, have been donating their time for years to participate in various Santa Float formats.
In most neighborhoods, Santa and his helpers hop on their sleighs shortly after 6 p.m. and glide through the streets for several hours. Some fire houses take a minimalist, or ride-by approach, making limited stops.
Others, such as Mead’s Station 92, have traditionally gone all out. For seven nights, between now and Dec. 16, Santa’s float and a caravan of fire and rescue trucks will make the rounds.
“They definitely know we’re on the way,” Santa said last weekend before climbing onto his velvet chair in the back of the antique fire truck.
Once the kids hear the horns and sirens, coupled with the Christmas music, the Pavlovian reactions follow.
“On some nights we see as many as 100 to 150 kids,” said volunteer firefighter Lt. Michelle Knokey, driving the lead – or Rudolph – truck one night last week on a route east of Market Street. “They come out in their jammies and slippers. … We try not to stay out past 9 because people don’t want to take kids out of bed.”
At some stops, children have to wait their turn before hopping onto Santa’s lap to recite their wish list. For some little ones, seeing Santa from a parent or grandparent’s arms is good enough. Four-year-old Tijera McQueen was one of those children who wanted no part of the big guy the other night.
“For a half-hour, all she said was, ‘I want to see Santa, I want to see Santa, I want to see Santa,’ ” Tijera’s grandmother, Tonya McDaniel said. “He comes, and all of the sudden she takes off running into the house.”
Tonya, along with other fearful tots, still got a candy cane from an understanding Santa.
For some teenagers, a home-delivered Santa Claus is the perfect order. It gives them a chance to chew the fat with Santa, reliving a time when talking to Santa was the real deal.
“We had some 18-year-old kids the other night saying they came to see Santa because it reminded them of coming to the Santa float when they were little,” said Knokey, who teaches at Whitman Elementary School.
On this particular night, two teenage girls made requests. One asked for an iPod, the other asked Santa for a boyfriend who wasn’t a jerk. Santa responded with a gentle smile, but no guarantees.
“I see an angle of the kids that most people don’t see,” said Santa, who isn’t a volunteer firefighter but has been helping for six years.
“The 6- and 7-year-old kids are great. They still believe in Santa but they are old enough to understand things. That’s the best view.”