The sixth annual Operation Santa event in Great Falls on Christmas morning was a huge success.
Laura Vukasin, who served as a school district trustee for 19 years, recalled a moment that inspired the creation of Operation Santa. During a visit to Longfellow School shortly after Christmas break six years ago, a first-grade teacher asked her students to share what they did during their holiday vacation. One boy said, “I don’t have a lot to tell you. I must not have been very good this year.” When the teacher asked why he felt that way, he replied, “Because Santa didn’t come to my house.” Two other little girls nodded in agreement, expressing that Santa had also skipped their homes. This touching moment prompted Laura and others to start Operation Santa.
The group organizes gift purchases, wraps them in different colored paper for boys and girls, and sorts them by age into large boxes. These boxes are placed in wagons pulled by horses and transported throughout the area. Each year, Operation Santa chooses a different school district to spread the joy of Christmas.
To attract attention, the group is led by fire trucks with lights and sirens blaring, encouraging people to come outside. This year, the Black Eagle Volunteer Fire Department took the lead, driving through the streets of the West Elementary School District while volunteers distributed gifts to children.
Each year, approximately 100 to 200 volunteers participate. They identify the ages of children in local homes and select appropriate gifts from the horse-drawn wagon to give to the kids. “We also had boxed candy, candy, canes, and dog bones,” explained Laura. “You can’t forget anyone on Christmas!”
Operation Santa continues to grow each year with the hope of making everyone’s Christmas a little brighter. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the generous donors, shoppers, gift-wrappers, gift movers, gift box painters, trailer loaders, the most amazing Santa, the Black Eagle Volunteer Fire Department, photographers Paris Bread and Jake Fenner, Ron Muzzana for handling traffic control, gracious transportation van contributors, and the cowboys and cowgirls driving their teams of Percherons. Additionally, thanks to the hundreds of elves who distributed presents and candy to the wonderful Westside families.
For many community members, it’s a surprise, as they often don’t know about the event until the parade passes their front door. The event brings Christmas cheer not only to those involved but also to everyone in the community.
In 2024, volunteers continued their tradition on Christmas morning, once again covering the West Elementary District. This year, they hitched two teams of Percherons to sleighs loaded with over 700 gifts for the children in the district. The sleighs were beautifully decorated and played Christmas music while Santa Claus and his elves distributed gifts.
Volunteers gathered at Rhodes Park at 9:45 AM and began gift deliveries at 10:00 AM. By 12:30 PM, the gift-giving was completed, allowing the volunteer elves to spend the remainder of the day with their families.
Author: Karen Anderson
Karen is the Editor-in-Chief overseeing all news operations at Foxys Publishing Co. She also loves photography and spending time with her dogs.
