%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 20 0 R ] /Count 2 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 12 0 R /F6 14 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 15 0 R /GS2 16 0 R /GS3 17 0 R /GS4 18 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 3.1.0 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20250921100238+00'00') /ModDate (D:20250921100238+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1782 >> stream xX˒6+*͇HIŔINZ,, "a ϘҿztjR8KM(c>zzEY/<*fF"i!募 نm-3cWZ׫ ͢$Nl0ɒY*[ e;3g^^*f'^'tqgIWkStŜ8JUo/Ϭ̢4wfYF$_Fs\o;嗷sǹ8q7o;lU(T$Y,sUsU_If eqͬP=2ZkՆ\UJx"e Q.5oRz|Dy1,ίtǻNЏYlX\/#rj1I(Q]MiA3I|_5 Jk͑Ԇ|Wb/ 2+}VՑs2߉Fi261Ö]rDiX>UdJ ۣHsFSoxXERﴪ5kƥ{7JsZ5ۚZבQaYو.FIQ#"5o" 9- r|훞 ~SzL*lwB=B%|`r?nS2 |ʡ'd9ǡ^lĶ;ac/*!f2 QPjf`sPxۄrRYL9 2<{.wR Qq\+6_(a*Rv-xTKjRmVt,+K .\WtS >y|ZkA]]صr㢴\4=E@ʰfQmֺ7ƽpn>sh(㈡s-J x<{^j?1ŞGЪdr̚AySl=o>ii(UsҬ0\|$`&v]Z1z1֭w^ЀIY)6 yri`x(@fMٵ9Hy7T;%=L9C #!@(>r JyR`Ԫ{< 8@Rp JEz&,탞O<[{p!ڸ#oN:dsԍ7(#?NΑ@ ߈/%.A+WKǿ =2RM$uc> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Oblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 13 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F6 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 19 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 20 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 21 0 R >> endobj 21 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 795 >> stream xmU6+piI^Ivo&)"H5CX[RBRV ͐:[7-Vpt ^f"2xş;X3QصzC^ vOp0(-0;A&8 f3=-N70V獕fTg8x^Kvë3&նUQ%=%PZyN &]?:x+t>먱ўUg`BFCG:C1_C.St67 :_<r.^Qb5Z5iHޢ2`?Ha;/=J.DfPĞX 'R ,12#iczCH|6@򶳬hEz)Be.:K,LLQ=[Ȟ-,xSa|u"}ֱ^4ƌړ w7*EHIVIGoNl~9MXWL(5ş !i1js?;ԠahFRR,E<ɩ,`ɑC f<6*-io0gJeW)Iy\#jleDYl(tx*EnT"G- ᒩɌ:qZy"(ke!'~vſE{G|:LͣIE/~pVM/0U|Yr]n?y-LiS@ӇnºY3ϢUvss-XW>?x endstream endobj xref 0 22 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000401 00000 n 0000000430 00000 n 0000000579 00000 n 0000000682 00000 n 0000002537 00000 n 0000002644 00000 n 0000002752 00000 n 0000002862 00000 n 0000002975 00000 n 0000003091 00000 n 0000003120 00000 n 0000003230 00000 n 0000003287 00000 n 0000003344 00000 n 0000003403 00000 n 0000003462 00000 n 0000003491 00000 n 0000003596 00000 n trailer << /Size 22 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[<976147e848858159b364e7695e22cc50><976147e848858159b364e7695e22cc50>] >> startxref 4464 %%EOF Where's the Christmas party? | Caring Magazine
Read Caring Magazine Volume 29

Vol. #29

Hope in Action

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

Where’s the Christmas party?

December 14, 2010
2 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article

Alaska’s Operation Santa brings a celebration to remote villages.

by Jenni Ragland –

Mr. and Mrs. Santa listen to a young girl’s wish list. [Photo courtesy of Alaska Division] Everybody loves a Christmas party! For several remote Alaskan villages, having a visit from the Operation Santa program—often before Thanksgiving—is the highlight of the holiday season. Organized by the Alaska National Guard with support from The Salvation Army, the program shares the joy of Christmas with each community—providing gifts, goody bags and the opportunity for children to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. This year, Operation Santa visited Kokhanok, St. Paul, Hoonah, Holy Cross, Tanana, Pilot Station, Little Diomede and White Mountain.

The first trip was to St. Paul, one of the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea (familiar to fans of the television show Deadliest Catch). Even traveling in the jumbo C-17 cargo jet, the flight there took nearly two hours. While en route the excitement built; many were on their first Op Santa trip. As the plane taxied to a stop, community members greeted Santa and the elves. Pick-up trucks loaded the gifts, books, fresh fruit, turkey dinner and ice cream sundaes while Santa and his helpers climbed aboard warm tour buses for the trip to City Hall where the community gathered for the festivities.

The elves got right to work—some packing goody bags for every child with fresh fruit, bottled water, stocking stuffers and toothbrushes. Others organized the toys so the line would move quickly once Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive. (Volunteers begin wrapping toys in September, labeling each with an age range and whether the gift is for a boy or girl.) On the stage the Air Force Band of the Pacific played Christmas carols, while at the opposite end of the room, volunteers served lunch for everyone, including ice cream sundaes.

Soon the special guests—Santa and Mrs. Claus—arrived, as everyone sang “Jingle Bells.” The Clauses spent the next several hours handing out presents and taking pictures with each child. Just before the kids finished, the elders lined up for a quick visit with Santa, too.

As we loaded up the plane for our trip home, we swapped stories about the day. Captain Doreen Freeman, Alaska divisional women’s Ministries secretary, who was on her first Op Santa trip, said, “I’ve heard so much about Op Santa and was excited to be part of the celebration with the community of St. Paul. The people were so welcoming and opened their hearts to share the joy of Christmas with us, as much as we came to serve them.”

Even Santa sometimes encounters weather challenges! While St. Paul was the first trip, it wasn’t the first one scheduled. Two attempts to visit the community of Kokhanok were canceled due to weather, which presented an obstacle this year. It required four tries before proving successful—which was a huge relief for organizers who didn’t want the children to be disappointed as well as those in the community who wondered if Santa would ever arrive.

Download this page as a PDF

You May Also Like