Community brunch draws hundreds for breakfast and photos with Santa on Christmas Eve
Seeing Santa Claus is exciting. But it doesn’t compare to winning that Disneyland Storytellers Café Chip ‘N Dale Critter Breakfast badge.
At least for 9-year-old Leo Barrera, that is.
He had won 10 of the badges by bowling over tiny Christmas trees, as he and his family strolled through the 10th annual holiday brunch hosted on Monday, Dec. 24, in downtown Anaheim.
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“Let’s get 20!” His younger brother, Adrian Barrera, 5, yelled.
“32!” Leo responded with an excited jump. “If we win, this is the best Christmas.”
Hundreds of children and their family visited the downtown to enjoy a warm meal, gifts and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Kids chalked the West Center Street Promenade with snowman and holiday greetings. They got their face painted with Batman, Mickey Mouse and snowflake drawings, and decorated fruit loop necklaces as bands played Christmas carols.
“It all started because as a child, I didn’t have very much,” said Kathy Cervantes, who, with her husband, Art, founded the community brunch. They own K&A Downtown Café.
She had attended events like this when she was a kid, she said, and wanted to spread the same joy that she had received from others.
Year by year, the event has grown as more community groups offered support.
This year, St. Joseph Heritage Medical Group organized three gift-wrapping sessions, preparing about 1,200 gifts for the visitors, the group’s representative, Alexandra Celano said.
Thanks to community support, buses brought children from Skyview Elementary and Middle School in Orange, which helps homeless students, Cervantes said. Teenage mothers from Mary’s Path were also transported to the event, which is free and open to the community.
The turnout exceeded what the organizers had expected, as Cervantes estimated Monday afternoon that 1,500 meals were served this year. Kids lined up at 6 a.m. to see Santa, she said.
Emma Cruz, 3, was running around, her face painted with snowflake, noisemakers in hand, after her visit with Santa.
Last year, when Emma saw Santa Claus, she burst out crying, her mother, Angelica Melendez, said.
But this year, Melendez said, Emma was all smiles as she took her photos.