Breakfast with Santa a delight for all

 

[December 14, 2021] 

It was a busy weekend in Lincoln with a lot of interesting activities going on Saturday. Among the events that were of special interest to local children was the annual VFW and Marine Corps League Breakfast with Santa.

The breakfast is sponsored by the Cronin Brothers VFW Post 1756 and its auxiliary and the Marine Corps League Detachment 1336. A free breakfast consisting of pancakes, pancake wrapped sausage, orange juice, milk, and for the grown-ups coffee, was served from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

As everyone knows, this time of year Santa Claus is a very busy guy. Therefore, he has to appoint ambassadors to dress like him and act on his behalf with area children. Most children know that Santa looks different everywhere they go, and this is the reason why.

This year, Santa’s ambassador at the VFW was Chaplain Ryan Edgecombe from Christian Village. This was the first time Edgecombe has represented Santa at the annual breakfast, and it was obvious that he was enjoying it as much if not more than the children.

Throughout the morning Santa sat at the foot of the large VFW Christmas tree in a comfortable rocking chair. He greeted children as they approached and urged them to sit on his lap and share the desires for Christmas this year.

Some did so gladly, while others were a bit more reluctant. Even so, Santa did what he could to make them comfortable and of course the bag of treats the children received at the end of their visit served to help almost all of them leave happy.

It turns out this Santa is a “singing Santa.” When there was a lull in the line of children waiting to see him, Santa hopped out and walked among the crowd eating breakfast and burst into song, much to the delight of everyone.

On the food line, the Marine Corps League members were busy most of the morning, serving up food and encouraging people to eat well because there was plenty of food for everyone.

On the sidelines, a long time mainstay of the Marine Corps League, Commandant Jim Harnacke was wheelchair bound. He said it is a temporary situation with an upcoming surgery after the first of the year.

While he regretted not being able to work the line with his fellow league members, he very much enjoyed visiting with folks as they exited the food line.

Members of the VFW 1756 Auxiliary were on hand, giving out coloring pages and crayons to the children in attendance. The ladies were also busy working in the kitchen and clearing tables as guests finished up their breakfast.

Back at the Christmas tree, Santa had some unique requests. One child came with a small notebook and asked for Santa’s autograph. Santa said that he had a number of names because he was called by different titles in different parts of the world. He wrote down three of his favorites - Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, and Kris Kringle.

A few other children also asked for his autograph, bringing their coloring pages to Santa and asking him to sign.

And, there were a couple of children who worked carefully to color the pages they were given then took them to Santa and presented them to him as a gift from them.

In all, it was a fun day for everyone. The VFW and Marine Corps League does the breakfast with Santa event annually, and typically around the second Saturday in December. If you missed out this year, mark your calendar now for next year and be on the lookout for an announcement in Lincoln Daily News.

[Nila Smith]