By Pamela Dozois

As the buses pulled into the parking lot at the Marriott Hotel in Buellton on the morning of Dec. 2, only smiling faces could be seen peering out of the windows as children anticipated the opportunity of attending a party created just for them with a restaurant lunch, gifts, and a chance to see Santa.

Disembarking, eyes widened as each child was greeted by familiar characters such as Frosty the Snowman, the Grinch, a Christmas elf, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

The annual Vikings of Solvang Christmas Party, given yearly on behalf of special-needs children and young adults from northern Santa Barbara County, is the highlight of the Vikings’ many yearly projects.

More than 800 special-needs students, teachers and aides attended the Vikings’ Christmas party on Dec. 2.

Each of the more than 800 guests was served lunch in a highly decorated banquet hall while the Viking Troubadours (Suzanne Hollrah, Gene Madsen and Franci DeFranco) and the Christmas Brass Group (David Pedersen, Doug Bube, Eldon Shiffman, Eugene L. Myers, and Mike Moore) performed Christmas music.

Each child then visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus, allowing them the opportunity to tell Santa what they want for Christmas. Each one then received a bucket of cookies from Olsen’s Bakery to take home.

“The party planning began in August,” explained Jim Cassidy, chairman of the event’s committee. “We have a master list of all the schools and teachers and begin emailing invitations to see who will be attending this year’s party, then we double check the list. If a teacher hasn’t responded, we then track her or him down by telephone in order to get an accurate head count to make sure that we order enough food for the party.

“Each teacher receives a $300 Amazon gift certificate for use in her classroom,” he continued. “We have parents who bring their children as well, as some may be fearful of getting on a bus or coming alone with a teacher. … Some of the children keep coming back year after year. Some are 18 or 19 years old now.”

Approximately 100 Viking volunteers work at this special event. Some are greeters, some work at the registration desk, others are ushers and food servers, and others help control the traffic into and out of the dining room. After the children have eaten, they are guided into the room where Santa and Mrs. Claus await them.

“The teachers and aides are absolutely remarkable. They are so peaceful and calm. They know how to handle their children. They have the ‘patience of Job’,” said Dave Bemis, chief of the Vikings this year. “They are so skillful, working with their individual kids, helping them to succeed.”

“Putting on this event is not work, it’s a pleasure,” said Cassidy, who has been chairman of this committee for about 10 years, taking over from the late Hans Birkholm who had run the program for decades before stepping down.

“Sometimes I think it is more pleasure than work,” Bemis agreed with a grin. “But then again, the chief does very little with regard to this event …. Jim is the person who is really in charge.”

“The Marriott is doing such a good job for us. We have been coming here for 10 years now. The Marriott provides a fine team that works with us, making sure everything goes off as planned,” said Cassidy.

“Every time a bus comes in, we see kids with all kinds of issues, but 99 percent of them step off the bus with smiling faces, and then we start smiling,” Cassidy continued. “I think that’s why we have so many volunteers – it’s because it makes them so happy to be here. The Vikings have close to 200 members. Most service clubs have a hard time recruiting, but we have at least 20 new members each year.”

“We feel very blessed to have the opportunity to attend this party with our kids and to have the Vikings’ support each Christmas. Everyone is having such a wonderful time,” said D.J. Barber, long-term substitute Special Ed teacher at Taylor Elementary School in Santa Maria as the children at her table were happily feasting on hamburgers, French fries, and treats that were being served to them by the Vikings and Marriott staff members.

“This is such a heart-rending event – it makes me want to cry,” said Viking Al Salge. “It makes me so thankful for all the blessings I have in my life.”

The Vikings are a social and philanthropic nonprofit group that exists to provide help with the medically related needs of qualified people and organizations in Santa Barbara County. This year, in addition to the cost of this party, they have made grants for medical needs that total nearly $85,000.

For more information, log onto www.vikingcharitiesinc.com.