Children, parents and grandparents were glad to see Santa make his way to the Boothbay town office on Saturday, Nov. 30.

The sleigh landed safely at the Boothbay fire house with no apparent interference from the fireworks over the harbor. Santa and his missus hopped aboard one of the fire department’s finest and made their way down Route 27 to the town office, horns tooting and sirens blaring. There, they were met by a line of families who greeted them enthusiastically.

Once inside, each child sat on Santa’s lap or stood next to his chair and shyly told the ambassador from the North Pole what they wanted for Christmas. Telling each child that he thought they were a good boy or girl, Santa said he would see what could be done to make wishes come true for Christmas.

Pokemon was a big favorite with the boys and Santa impressed the children with a pretty fair imitation of the Pokemon sound. Many of the girls wanted tea items: tea sets or tea party tables. And some children asked for pets, including a parakeet and a yellow Labrador retriever. Other requests included ice skates, dolls and doll houses, bows and arrows and a phone.

Santa’s arrival at the town office has been an annual event of Boothbay Fire Department and Bay View Masonic Lodge for at least 30 years, according to Boothbay Public Works Director Michael Alley. Those who visited with Santa were treated to hot chocolate and cookies before heading home.