PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — Every year, Santa Claus has a long list of appearances he makes across the country before Christmas Eve, but one place he never forgets to visit is Pflugerville.
"He would never quit this," said Deborah Dahl, Santa’s helper. "It brings us so much joy. We have so much fun doing it."
For over 10 years, Dahl has helped Santa set up his own little North Pole in Central Texas.
"About 11 years ago, we took a great grandchild to the mall, and the pictures were $25," Dahl said. "And I told my husband some families can't afford that, and so we decided to make a place where families could come for free and take pictures."
It’s something they start preparing for in October each year. But it’s not only a treat for the kids to enjoy.
“It brings joy to the neighborhood, and people look forward to it,” she said.
Dahl said people come to visit from all the surrounding cities and counties. They have even seen people visiting family in Pflugerville from Canada and Peru. The line of kids and families waiting to see Santa keeps growing every year.
“We might have seen, I don’t know, 30 people the first year,” Dahl said. “We were so excited when somebody would stop in.”
Now this year, they’ve had over 600 kids visit and a little over 1,300 people in total.
While kids are there, they can drop off a letter to Santa and pick up a small treat before the holiday. They also have a donation jar for the American Legion Auxiliary, which helps veterans and families of veterans.
But Santa isn’t on his sleigh in Pflugerville forever.
“Our last day is always the 23rd because Santa’s too busy on the 24th,” Dahl said.
So if you missed him this year, there’s no doubt he’ll make an appearance in Central Texas again next Christmas. His first visit is always the first Friday after Thanksgiving.