Rec Sports
Santas ashore! Christmas Walk activities draw crowds
More than 20 Santas paddle boarded from Pleon Yacht Club to Riverside Beach and then State Street Landing Sunday morning. The annual tradition raises money for the Marblehead Food Pantry. This year, a polar bear and even the Grinch joined in.
On Saturday, about 300 people packed State Street Landing to welcome Santa and Mrs. Claus as they arrived by lobster boat. The North Pole couple was greeted by cheers and a live performance of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by the Marblehead High School chorus.
Children perched on their parents’ shoulders to catch a glimpse of the holiday magic. Lisa Cox, who recently relocated to Marblehead with her family, was excited to take part in the tradition.
“We just moved here this past summer. Last year, we knew we wanted to move to Marblehead and came to see the parade, and now we get to come as locals,” Cox said.
The group’s children — Ciaran, Camden and Coley — shared their wish lists, which included sports gear, remote-control cars, paint and an Apple Watch.
Mr. and Mrs. Claus chatted about their morning on the water.
“We had a beautiful day. We heard there was something called gale-force winds. I kept saying to the elves, ‘What is a gale-force wind?’ And they go, ‘Not good.’ But we ended up with a beautiful day. Perfect, even,” Mrs. Claus said.
This year marks the final Christmas Walk for Mary Best, Mrs. Claus’ longtime “helper” of more than 40 years. She hinted at a reveal coming in 2025.
“There’s going to be a big surprise next year as I hand down the magic cape. There will be a special reward,” she said.
A little later, Glover’s Regiment led the parade, followed by community groups, local businesses, youth sports teams and people driving antique cars. Hundreds of people lined the streets, cheering them on.
Here’s a photo and video gallery of the weekend’s highlights. Enjoy!
Editor Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist.