News : It's official, Santa has arrived!

Santa with Harper Jean Houtchens

Santa arrived in downtown Vinton last night via the Veteran's Holiday Parade. He rode in on one of the Vinton Fire Department's trucks to the joy of all of the children. Santa's youngest customer didn't say a word to Santa, nor give him her list of toys. She was a mere 6 weeks old and perfectly content to sleep in Santa's arms. 

It's always fun to see the children, from the itty bitty babies, to the older ones as they tell Santa what they have on their wish list. Even more fun was to see the moms, dads and grandparents enjoying a moment with their offspring as they anticipated meeting the big guy. 

As always, our Santa outdid himself as he visited with the children and parents. A special thanks for putting Vinton on his stop!

Unlike last year, the weather was pretty nice for a November evening and attendance at the courthouse was relatively light.

To see photos of the children and Santa, click here!  (Someone has got to explain why the all white Christmas tree, with all white lights, looks pink and blue in some of the photos!)