Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Granbury’s own Mr. and Mrs. Claus will soon be filling up sleighs with toys and spreading holiday cheer this December — even more than they already do.
During the Hood County Commissioners Court meeting Sept. 10, a motion was unanimously approved to allow the Granbury Santa House to host a Toys for Tots toy drive Dec. 4.
“In the past several years, people have been dropping toys off thinking that we distribute them, so we'd like to do that in conjunction with Toys for Tots, and just make it an official day so that everybody can do it,” Mrs. Claus, aka Arlis Holland, said during the meeting.
Husband-and-wife duo Ken and Arlis Holland — otherwise known as Santa and Mrs. Claus — started the Santa House tradition in 2016 to provide a free place for the public to have a moment of magic with Santa.
“We’re not asking anything from anybody except to come and just have a moment of joy. That’s it,” Arlis Holland said in a previous interview with the HCN. “We just want to bring the magic. That’s what we’re all about.”
Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive in Granbury during the annual Nights of Lights Parade in November and hop off their sleigh to go to Santa’s House — eager to spread the Christmas joy to adults and children alike.
Last year alone, the festive duo spread holiday cheer to a total of 6,445 guests.
Mr. and Mrs. Claus also had visitors this past holiday season who were not only from out of town but were also from out of state — and even some from out of the country.
“We had guests from Belgium, China, all over the place,” Arlis Holland said during a previous meeting of the Hood County Commissioners Court earlier this year.
Arlis Holland explained during Tuesday’s meeting that to date, the couple has seen roughly 35,000 visitors in Santa’s House.
“Can you believe that? Out here in Granbury?” Hood County Judge Ron Massingill remarked. “That is just fabulous. Y’all do such a marvelous job.”
Massingill went on to explain that in watching Santa interact with the kids last year, he noticed a remarkable patience from Saint Nick himself.
“He’s slow,” Arlis Holland joked.
“He is up there, and he is involved in the conversation with those kids, and they are mesmerized by y’all both working together,” Massingill said. “You do a fabulous job. Y’all really do.”
Arlis Holland explained that their success is largely due to their group of volunteers, whom she calls “the village.”
“There's so many people involved in this now ... and we're still in awe of the response, so I think that says a lot,” she said.
“It takes that leadership,” Massingill said. “I mean, Christmas is not Christmas without Mr. and Mrs. Claus.”
Precinct 3 Commissioner Jack Wilson made a motion to allow Granbury Santa House to host a toy drive for Toys for Toys Dec. 4. Following a second from Precinct 2 Commissioner Nannette Samuelson, the motion passed unanimously.
