Santa Ride Highlights The Inn’s Holiday Celebrations

Montgomery County Police Department brings Santa to The Inn after a convoy through the county

Two weeks before the big day, Santa Claus made an early visit to The Children’s Inn at NIH as part of the Montgomery County Police Department’s annual Santa Ride. Accompanied by a fleet of MCPD “elves” on motorcycles, Santa rolled up to the front door of The Inn and greeted a crowd of children who were excited to see him and celebrate the holiday season.

“Santa Ride is always one of our favorite days of the year here at The Inn,” said Kristin Arabian, The Inn’s Family Program Operations Manager. “Our families always look forward to the festivities, and we just love seeing their faces light up when they see Santa and his elves.”

Accompanied by Mrs. Claus, Santa led the families into the main lobby of The Inn, where he sat down next to The Inn’s main Christmas tree to take photos and hear Christmas wishes. His elves, meanwhile, mingled with families in the lobby and the bistro, where they engaged in holiday-themed activities such as gingerbread house building, ornament painting, and a fully-stocked hot cocoa station. They also helped wrap gifts in the Gingerbread Gift Shoppe, where children at The Inn could pick gifts for their parents, siblings, and friends. Live music was provided by Classical Hearts.

“I love everything about Christmas!” exclaimed eight-year-old Emily, who spent most of the party with a huge smile on her face as she made friends with the elves. “It was so exciting to meet Santa!”

Emily speaks with FOX 5’s Gwen Tolbart at The Inn’s annual Santa Ride

Before they arrived at The Inn, the convoy made several stops throughout Montgomery County, where residents were able to drop off donated gifts for the children at The Inn. Despite the wet weather, MCPD made sure that each stop was full of holiday cheer for people of all ages.

The Santa Ride followed The Inn’s annual Winter Wonderland celebration last week. Following a quarterly Board of Directors meeting, the holiday-themed party featured the annual lighting ceremony as the elaborate decorations in and around The Inn were illuminated by a group of kids along with CEO Jennie Lucca and Board Chair Brian Kelly.

The holiday season is always a highlight of The Inn’s annual calendar. To help, supporters are encouraged to visit The Inn’s Amazon Wish List to help stock gifts for next year’s Gingerbread Gift Shoppe and general needs throughout the year.