The holiday season is inching closer and with it, a host of festive events to capture the magic, but few can stir the imagination of the young ones like a personal call from Santa Claus. The Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department is tapping into this timeless yuletide magic, offering local children ages 3-9 the chance to receive "Calls from Santa" on the evening of Thursday, December 4, from 6-8 p.m. As reported by the Town of Wake Forest's official website, eager parents can start signing up their kids for this one-of-a-kind experience starting November 24.
Starting Monday, families looking to sprinkle a little extra cheer into their children's holiday season can access registration forms online. As an effort to make Santa's calls reach as many ears as possible, completed forms must be submitted online or received by the Joyner Park Community Center or Wake Forest Town Hall, found on Harris and S. Brooks Street respectively, no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, December 1. "Calls from Santa" comes at no cost, but it should be noted, as per the official announcement, that registrations over the phone will not be accepted, and kids' wish lists and personal greetings can soon be heard, delivered by the jolly man himself from the North Pole.
For the skeptics or the uninitiated, the town of Wake Forest is ensuring every call is a local one, giving a personal touch to Santa's greetings. While the service is complimentary, it comes with a small catch — these holiday hellos will come from an unknown number, something to keep in mind for parents with caller ids set to block these types of incoming calls. It's a simple instruction, “please deactivate that feature between 6-8 p.m. on the evening of Calls from Santa,” the Town of Wake Forest's advisory reads, just another small step ensuring the magic of Christmas speaks directly to the town's children.
In a time where the charm of the holiday season often gets lost in the commercial shuffle, Wake Forest's "Calls from Santa" aims to dial back to simpler joys — a reminder that the greatest gifts often come in the form of experiences, not just tangible items wrapped under the tree. The window to secure a slot for this event culminates as December dawns, indeed the moments for one to sign up trickle down rapidly, ahead of the December 4 calls. Parents are thus encouraged to act promptly to add their child's name to Santa's ever-growing list of calls.
