Santa...by helicopter?!

I think the best thing about my job is going out and getting to see and be involved in lots of different community events. It definitely makes my job more interesting than a normal desk job. I get to meet all sorts of different people (so far, I've interviewed the Afghanistan ambassador to Canada, a Liberal leadership candidate vying to be BC's next premier, a couple that got stranded on a cruise ship after an accident killed its engine and a woman competing to become the next paradise hunter, a job that essentially requires her to travel the world all-expenses paid).

Well, one of the most interesting things I've gotten a chance to cover was the arrival of a Santa Claus by helicopter! Yes, that's right. Old Saint Nick is way too high-tech now for those reindeer...he's dropping in by helicopter.

Waiting with a crowd of kids around a roped-off area, I wanted to shout out "you know he's not real right?!" but that would have been bad and probably caused a huge riot. So I kept those thoughts to myself and talked with a couple kids about what they hoped Santa would bring them this year. Then suddenly over the horizon, the loud sounds of a helicopter turbine filled the air and a small spot in the sky slowly became a helicopter that was heading straight for the field in front of me. And in the front? Santa Claus of course, waving to the kids waiting. Except those kids ultimately had to turn away during the helicopter's touchdown because snow whipping in your face is really not fun and, straight up, it hurts.

And when Santa came out of the helicopter, there was cheering all around me. Kids clamored around him, some of them clutching handwritten lists (forget that they're asking for loads of unnecessary gifts and presents, kids still write nowadays?!). And you know, it was really cute. To be young and to be believe that an old man shimmies down the chimney to drop off presents that you specially request is (somewhat unsettling if you really think about it) but also a really sweet thing especially seen through the eyes of an innocent child.

Anyway, here are some of my pictures from that really random but ultimately heartwarming event: