Santa Claus Is Coming to Daybreak

Would it even be the holidays if Madeline didn’t get to meet Santa? Thankfully, our community made that an easy yes. Daybreak hosted a Santa’s Village event at America First Square in Downtown Daybreak, complete with festive decorations, ice skating, photo ops, and—most importantly—Santa himself. Kids could meet Santa during reserved time slots, share their Christmas wishes, and snap photos, including one in Santa’s sleigh.

We love that our community puts on events like this. It’s part of what makes living in Daybreak feel a little magical, especially during the holidays.

We signed up for an early Wednesday time slot and picked Mads up from school, honestly debating whether we should even go. The weather had been pretty rough all afternoon—windy and rainy—but right around 4:30 it cleared up. That felt like our sign. We bundled Madeline into her polar bear suit to keep her warm and, since the weather still felt questionable, decided to drive over instead of walking.

When we arrived, the line to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus was short, and before we knew it, it was Mads’s turn. Her reaction was exactly what you’d expect at this age. As soon as Alison walked up holding her, Madeline immediately burrowed into Alison’s shoulder. We managed to get a quick group photo before handing her over to Santa and Mrs. Claus, that’s when the waterworks started. Madeline was not having it. Even after we got her back, she seemed mildly offended that we had made her sit with these very strange people.

Thankfully, everyone received a little goodie bag, complete with a candy cane pen that instantly became her favorite toy. Crisis averted. We snapped one more quick photo in Santa’s sleigh and then headed home.

This is one of those memories Alison and I will always cherish. Mads may not have loved every second of it, but we got the classic crying-baby-with-Santa photo and she got another year of meeting Santa. That feels like a holiday win to me.