Thousands of girls and boys are eagerly waiting for Santa Claus to pay them a visit this Christmas. In preparation for the big day, Santa is spending a little time relaxing at the Rosewood Miramar Beach resort.
Santa got into town on Nov. 24 and will be taking pictures with guests until Christmas Eve on Dec. 24.
Brianna and Jason Olcese took their 1-year-old son, Harper, to see Santa for the first time Thursday afternoon.
“He just turned 1. This is his first Santa experience,” said Mrs. Olcese who looked on as her son had his photo taken with Santa. Before too long, Santa was ushering Mr. and Mrs. Olcese onto his red couch so his helpers could get a shot of the whole family.
“We love the hotel. His first Easter was here, he saw the Easter Bunny. We’ll be here as well for Christmas,” said Mr. Olcese, who added that the couple are happy to be new parents.
“We love it. It’s the best thing that ever happened to us,” he said.
Vanessa and Jamie Beckett took their 2-year-old son Bridger to see Santa as well.
The Becketts are from Texas and are in town visiting the Olceses.
Santa brought out a toy tricycle for Bridger to play with as his helpers jingled a string of bells to draw his attention to the camera.
“We’ve been out here before but we’ve never been to the hotel before, this is a first. We’re out here spending some time with friends and family,” said Mr. Beckett.
Mrs. Beckett added that they’re having a lot of fun raising their son.
Santa said that even though he’s on vacation, he’s always checking up on boys and girls.
“You know we gotta check on boys and girls, you know to make sure. And there’s a lot of adults that need to be checked on also,” said Santa, who continued that he’s been keeping a keen eye on the children at the resort in particular.
“The children have been really good, and some of the parents were kind of double checking, but they did say they were sorry. Ho-ho-ho,” chuckled Santa.
“Just remember, Christmas is love, joy and hope,” said Santa as he prepared to greet his next guest.
“Christmas has always held a very special place in my heart. It’s the season of joy and faith and most importantly it’s the time of year when families come together,” said Rick Caruso, owner of the Rosewood Miramar Beach. “It brings me great pride to know that this year, families and friends from near and far will gather to create new traditions and share in the magic of Miramar.”
To make an appointment to have a picture taken with Santa visit https://miramarsantaphotos.com/. Walk-ins are welcome, but wait times may vary.
Santa will host Santa’s Holiday Brunch on Sunday in the Miramar’s Chandelier Ballroom.
Elves entertain the children as family and friends dine on a buffet of seasonally inspired dishes.
Tickets cost $125 per adult, $65 per child ages 4 to 12 and free for children under 4.
Proceeds benefit Santa Barbara’s Storyteller Learning Center, a local organization that provides therapeutic early childhood education for homeless and at-risk children.
Tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/santas-holiday-brunch-tickets-76157317587.
email: pgonzalez@newsrpess.com
