Members of the Alaska Air National Guard delivered some Christmas cheer to a rural village in Alaska. Dressed up as Santa Claus and his elves, the National Guard teamed up with the Salvation Army to deliver Christmas gifts, toys and school supplies to children in the village of Napakiak.
According to a statement by the US Army, members of the Alaska Air National Guard visited Napakiak on December 3. They took a ride in an Army Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to access the small village. A video shows Santa arriving at the remote Alaska village in the chopper.
"I do love to travel with my reindeer," said Santa Claus. "But they are resting up for Christmas Eve, which gives me an amazing opportunity to fly with the National Guard," he said.
Every child at the village received a wrapped present. "Ice cream sundaes were provided for everyone in the community, and all students received new backpacks with personal items and snacks," said the statement by National Guard. The children reportedly sang Christmas carols and posed for pictures with Santa Claus.
"Just to see Santa when he walked in the room, and all the kids lighting up. That made my day," said Major General Torrence Saxe to Fox News.
Operation Santa Claus began in 1956. As part of this tradition, for 63 years, the Alaska National Guard delivers gifts to two communities each year. This year, they also visited Tuntutuliak in November.
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