Santa Rides In Style Through South Spokane | Community Spirit

You could hear the fire truck rumbling from blocks away. It wasn't the ominous wail of a siren, though. On this night, the fire truck's arrival was heralded by the sound of Christmas music - and, Santa was the first to hop out of the cab.

Over the past several nights, Santa has been making his way across parts of the Moran Prairie and the South Hill, not on his sleigh, but on board a fire truck from Fire District 8. It's the annual visit through the neighborhoods and a chance to spread holiday cheer.

Let me editorialize for a moment, if I could. As a mom of two young boys, I know how cool fire trucks are. With a son whose about to turn 3 on the day after Christmas, I know how cool Santa is. So, the fact my son and the other kids on our street could experience both at the same time was more exciting than I could imagine.

We missed the visit last year, so I wanted to be prepared. I found Santa's schedule and told the neighbors to be ready Sunday night. We waited. And, waited. And, whined. Finally, it was time for bed and Santa had not arrived. My little guy went to sleep with Santa on the brain; the last thing he said before he fell asleep was, "I want Santa to come on the fire truck." Disappointed, I called District 8 to see if I had the wrong day in mind. By this morning, I had a call from Lt. Jeff Wainwright wanting to "make good" on the Santa visit. Turns out, the firefighters were called out Sunday night and their call took precedent over the Santa visit. Lt. Wainwright rallied the troops, assured me I wasn't being an overbearing pain in the mistletoe and at 6:45 tonight, that fire truck rolled down our street, to the delight of the little boys and girls who ran out to greet them.

They didn't just hop out, hand out candy canes and head back to the station. The guys stayed, entertained the kids, let them climb in the fire truck and invited us all up for a visit to the station. The little boy who lives in my house went to bed talking about Santa again... this time, though, thrilled about the visit.

I don't know how many other communities get a visit like this, but I know we're lucky that we do. Even luckier that they made a special trip, as not to disappoint the kids who were so excited to meet them. What a fun holiday tradition - thanks to Lt. Wainwright, his crew and, of course, Santa himself.