A band of Santas traveled through Williston Park on Dec. 24 as the village held its annual Operation Santa.
Residents had the opportunity to call the village and schedule a visit to their home or business from the jolly group of elves. This year, the folks who dress up and share holiday cheer with the village visited 55 houses, according to Deputy Mayor Kevin Rynne.
“A couple of times I’ve dressed as Santa, and walking into the home and seeing the kids’ faces is something everybody should experience,” he said. “It’s a great thing the village does.”
Rynne has been involved with the village program for 16 years and said that this year they had six Santas driving to visit houses. He said that at its peak, Operation Santa visited close to 100 houses per year.
“It’s very nice here in the office when people call and set it up, everyone’s very excited because they’ve been doing it for years,” said Village Clerk Kristi Romano. “Some people, like myself, had Santa when they were kids, and now people are parents and doing it for their children. So it’s really nice that it’s passed down through generations, it’s a really nice tradition.”
“It’s been a great thing that the village has done for over 50 years,” said Timothy Casey, a Williston Park native with four kids aged seven to thirteen. “It goes over very well with all of the children and parents; it brings smiles to everyone’s face.”
Santa visited Casey’s parents’ house, where his whole extended family welcomed Santa and sang carols together.
“It’s fantastic that there are volunteers out there, especially on Christmas Eve, who take their time to spread this joyous feeling around Williston Park,” he said.
