Pancakes, Jammies, and Santa!!!

Well, it was a guaranteed winner! Where else could little wee ones find a delicate pancake breakfast feast like the one provided at the GN Lodge Room on Saturday, Dec. 14th? About 75 kids showed up and chose to partake in the selection of toppings for pancakes such as caramel, strawberry and maple syrup to be topped with a large array of sprinkles, whip cream and chocolate chips! Tom LaBrie, owner of the GN, said he and his crew served 175 of those flapjack pancakes, so it might be safe to presume they were a hit!

To add to that they were served with a half cup of hot chocolate. What? Only a half cup of hot chocolate? The kids were told they could easily come back for seconds, but the top half of the cup was saved for and filled with whipped cream. And there were white mustaches abounding around the tables that were pretty well filled to capacity during the event.

As to the jolly gent in the red suit that greeted kiddles when they were ready to share what they wanted for Christmas, he said he had eaten long before arriving; first to settle his tummy and second to avoid not being seated when wee ones wanted to chat.

"I LOVE IT! THIS is my favorite time of year," Santa shared.

One can only imagine the magic the jolly gent feels when he listens to little hearts share their most desired Christmas present. He was able to take requests for a lot of remote control cars this year, dolls and even soft and snuggly squishmellows. Santa is so old, and with age comes a slight inclination to have dementia and he said he can't even remember how many years he has been making this stop to the GN, but elated parents, grandparents and kids were definitely glad he could work it into his schedule. Anyone who doesn't believe in Santa is more than likely to get a hunka-chunka coal in their stocking this year.

Two handy-dandy youth, Shelby Snellman and CharLee Anderson, assisted the Chamber members Julie Snellman, volunteers from Independence Bank Rene White and Tanner Kelly in making sure everything went smoothly. Their helping hands and bright smiles could only be outdone by their contagious enthusiasm.

Santa said, "I thought it went great!" We all know his opinion should carry some weight in the matter.

At the end of the two hour appearance, Santa was able to escape without being the target of anyone upchucking (luckily, no one did, despite the consumption) and most of the lap guests were excited to sit, share and enjoy the feller. There were a "few" who were not easily sold on the idea of sitting on the lap of the white bearded legend and the rafters of the roof in the room withstood the (few) shrieks.