Saturday, December 1, 2007

Santa Comes Ashore in Suisun City

From The Daily Republic (Subscription required)
By Nika Megino

SUISUN CITY - Santa Claus arrived to town not by air but by water Saturday night as hundreds of Suisun City residents welcomed the holiday season at the annual Christmas in Old Town Suisun.

Lights, Christmas trees and snowmen were among ornaments topping more than a dozen boats at the event's Lighted Boat Parade.

Santa and his elves, all in red-and-white Santa hats, greeted families, couples and individuals lined up at the waterfront with a jolly 'Merry Christmas' from their red-lighted sleigh boat.

The crowd counted down the lighting of the city's Christmas tree, decorated in candy canes, as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus stood alongside Suisun City Mayor Pete Sanchez.

'Merry Christmas,' Sanchez said as he greeted the crowd with a smile.

Cheers and applause streamed from every corner as the tree was lit in multi-colored fashion. Children reached their hands out as drops of snow dribbled down.

Seven-year-old Sophia Valentino and 5-year-old Olivia Hicks shared their joy of the season as they sang Christmas songs freely along the waterfront.

It was the first time that Cara Valentino, Sophia's mother, had attended the event in 10 years.

'It's better. It was beautiful,' said Valentino, adding that it's beginning to feel like Christmas.

'Having the water and having the boats is unique.'
Peter Valentino, the head of the Valentino clan, expressed his pride in how Suisun City rings in the holidays.

'It was great to see a lot of people come out and have that sense of community again,' Cara Valentino said.

Reach Nika Megino at 427-6953 or nmegino@dailyrepublic.net.

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