Santa's Flight to Paterson: The Spirit of Christmas is Alive
/Santa's Flight to Paterson: The Spirit of Christmas is Alive
By: Daniel Del Valle
On the morning of Dec. 23, 2023, many children were amazed as Santa Claus himself flew the skies above Paterson, NJ. Santa had sidelined his sleigh and reindeer, opting for the sleek New Jersey State Police helicopter, courtesy of Colonel Patrick Callahan. After a memorable morning flight, Santa arrived knowing the children (and their parents) were excited for his arrival on the city streets — because just as years passed — Santa was coming to Paterson with individually wrapped presents for the children!
Santa arrived at our Blue Magazine and Moment of Silence headquarters to meet his helpers — an eager group of volunteers, who waited with stocked truckloads of toys, trucks outfitted with Christmas lights, and speakers blaring Christmas music for all to hear. What unfolded in the hours ahead was a testament that the wonderment of youth is precious and that the spirit of Christmas is alive and well.
We set out for all the neighborhoods in Paterson irrespective of blight conditions and potential safety concerns; we'd known the children were waiting for Santa. And it was our job to get Santa there.
We witnessed so many beautiful experiences. As we saw the joy on the children's faces and big ear-to-ear smiles, we noticed the parents were elated, too. Some were crying, expressing how they'd not even had enough money to purchase a Christmas tree this year. We believe every child and family should experience the magic of Christmas — the love and fellowship of neighbors — the selfless spirit of giving, and the incredible power of kindness.
We were blessed to provide over 8,000 toys this year thanks to Moment of Silence, the DePaco family and the Blue Magazine. These entities worked in unison for this event to be a significant success. It takes a lot of passion from well-intentioned people for this event to occur. I am thankful we have such a wonderful team of selfless and devoted patriots. Special thanks to the New Jersey State Police, the Passaic County Sheriff's Department, PBA 197, the Paterson Police and the many officers nationwide who come to volunteer year after year. We had over 50 volunteers in the streets giving out toys all day. All our volunteers worked very hard, and we were happily exhausted when we finished the tour.
We are very grateful and happy to be able to serve the community. Thank you again to everyone who made this possible. It was a beautiful experience.
Stay connected, because Santa is returning next Christmas for our 14th year of assisting Santa Claus!
