Santa Claus' Christmas Celebration goes all the way through the first weekend of January; every weekend is chock full of Christmas activities including story time, breakfasts and dinners with Santa himself. Forbes magazine named the town as one of the "World's Top Christmas Destinations," and the 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree opened Santa Claus' holiday season when it stopped there Nov. 21 on its way to Washington, D.C.
"It is so magical at Christmastime and you tend to forget that in July," said St. Nick's Restaurant manager Larry May, who is in charge of the Pancake Breakfast with Santa and the Traditional Christmas Dinner with Santa. "You get to relive the joys of childhood through the eyes of your children."
Missouri's Tecklenburg family enjoyed Dinner with Santa and stayed at Santa's Lodge the first weekend of December.
"My wife works with someone who came here last year and told her how awesome it is," Jason Tecklenburg said while waiting in line for Santa photos with his wife, Kelly, and children, Olivia, 7, and Samuel, 4, all of Union, Mo. "We're looking at lights, the whole gamut of what they've got going on, cookies with Santa, Candy Castle."
From 7 to 10 a.m. each Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the third weekend of December, the days start with Pancake Breakfast with Santa. Then, at 9 a.m. each weekend day, including Friday, Story Time with Santa takes place at Santa's Candy Castle. Also, starting at 9 a.m. on the same days, children can write a letter to Santa at the workshop for Santa's Elves next to the historic, fully restored 1935 Santa Statue on the grounds of the Santa Claus Museum.
A contingent of volunteer "elves," in addition to the museum's regular volunteers, answers letters from all over the world, such as from Sri Lanka, Germany, Russia and Lithuania.
Holiday World Theme Park co-owner and matriarch Pat Koch, who speaks fluent German, translates and writes back to the letter writers from Germany. The town's post office averages 10,000 letters a year, but has years when it receives as many as 40,000 letters. The "elves" answer letters up to Dec. 22.
"So, really, it takes an army of volunteers to get those letters answered and postmarked back," Holiday World and Santa Claus Museum communications manager Nathan Ryder said. "Santa's elves stay very, very busy."
The main cost to the museum is postage; otherwise, the Koch Development Co. donates printing, letters and envelopes. The museum relies solely on donations from the public for postage costs.
"Some parents include a dollar or two to cover postage, which is very helpful," Ryder said. "Sometimes someone sends money without a letter just to help out with postage."
Other December-only attractions include Santa Claus' Great Big LED Tree of Lights; Santa Claus Land of Lights: Family Christmas Light Adventure inside open-year-round Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort, which tells the story of Rudolph; Christmas Lake Village Festival of Lights, which is nine miles of themed residential light displays; Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire and Christmas Wood Carvings at Santa's Candy Castle; Santa Claus Arts and Crafts Show at the American Legion; Visit with Santa at the Santa Claus Christmas Store; and Buffalo Run pioneer village, buffalo farm and grill/gift shop Holiday Open House in Lincoln City, Ind., which is near Santa Claus. Buffalo feedings take place at 11 a.m. on weekends.
Highland, Ill., couple John and Wendy Sanders, along with their 22-year-old daughter, Jayme Crundwell, stopped first at Buffalo Run the first weekend of December on their way to Santa Claus.
"It's a good drive, a good day trip," said Wendy Sanders, who learned how to throw a tomahawk from Buffalo Run owners Michael and Kathleen Crews' son, Kenton, 14.
The Crewses live on the farm's 100 acres, formerly owned by Abraham Lincoln's relative Dennis Hanks, related to Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks, and the property sits across the street from Lincoln's Boyhood Home, which is open to the public.
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