Santa at the Lake Reston festivities
Santa's pontoon arrives at Lake Anne dock, and he disembarks to meet the children he knows so well.
Santa and his elves had been looking forward to this one-day trip to Reston for quite some time, as they needed a break from the -34°F temperatures at the North Pole in Alaska, USA. Families spotted Santa and his elves making their way across Lake Anne from afar and began clapping and cheering. After disembarking, Santa walked through the throngs of children, giving fist bumps here and there and receiving unexpected quarter-back blocking hugs from children who slipped through the crowds.
Santa eventually took a seat on the bench next to Bob Simon's bronze statue and under the Wish Fence, where children and adults had written their most cherished holiday desires. A line formed quickly and stretched to the parking lot, filled with children and adults eager to tell Santa their most heartfelt holiday wishes. No one appeared to mind the wait, and everyone seemed pleased that Santa could visit Lake Anne this year.