After having to forego its annual kids’ party the past two years, the Vikings of Solvang unleashed a pent up storage of Christmas cheer Monday for the group’s special guests.
Hundreds of students, plus their teachers and aides, from the Santa Maria, Lompoc and Santa Ynez valleys were invited to the event at the Santa Ynez Marriott ballroom, where they were served lunch and entertainment before visiting with Santa and Mrs. Claus and leaving with a bucket of Danish cookies.
“Everybody’s happy to see it (return),” said Jim Cassidy, event chairman, adding that the group did not hold the event in 2020 and hoped to hold a party in 2021 but couldn’t due to COVD-19 case numbers.
“This is a real bright step for us this year. It reminds us what we’re to do as an organization.”
Santa Ynez Valley Union High School teacher Sally McNamara was among adults who brought students to the event.
“It’s just absolutely wonderful — what a special event,” McNamara said, adding it was her first time to attend the Vikings Kids’ Christmas Party.
“It was just marvelous. It was joyous. What a blessing.”
La Canada Elementary School from Lompoc had multiple classes of students in attendance.
“I love it. It’s very organized, very welcoming. Everyone was very helpful, very accommodating, very patient,” said teacher Madeline Gravitt, who brought her first- and second-graders.
Her students enjoyed the music and getting time with Santa Claus.
“I really liked how everyone was just hands on and welcoming,” she added.
As students and teachers awaited their bus for the trek back to school, the youths paused for pictures with the Grinch, Snowman and Rudolph, while others eagerly pet a pair of service dogs.
“It was great,” said another La Canada teacher, Paul Brown. “The kids really enjoyed it.”
This year’s event ended up being smaller than planned after transportation troubles kept some teachers from attending with their students..
Approximately 600 attendees showed up Monday morning, compared to 800 in 2019.
“Considering we’ve been dark for two years, it’s about what we expected,” Cassidy said.
The group has kept the same formula used to pull off the successful Vikings party, which began in 1981 for special-needs students.
“Fortunately, we have a system that’s worked good in the past. Sometimes we tweak something here or there,” Cassidy said, adding they took steps this year to avoid lines of arriving guests from getting mixed up with those awaiting Santa Claus visits.
The kids’ party serves as the start of the holiday season for the Vikings, with some 111 members on hand helping direct traffic, act as greeters, serve launch, and otherwise assist in corralling excited youths on Monday, he said.
The Vikings of Solvang now boast more than 200 members and holds four initiations each year to welcome newcomers.
“And we continue to grow,” Cassidy said, adding that the children’s Christmas party lets new members get a close-up look at the organization’s mission.
While the event hasn’t happened since 2019, the Vikings have continued fulfilling their philanthropic mission of helping people with medical needs
“And we’re continuing to do that,” Cassidy said. “That need, unfortunately, is growing,”
Since 1980, the Vikings of Solvang has raised and donated over $3.3 million to fund medical requests for local individuals in need of support. Members also host several blood drives each year.