.jpg)
As he has for probably 70 years, Santa paid a visit to the Raphine firehouse on Christmas Eve, just before he headed back to the North Pole to pick up his sleigh and start on his worldwide ride. The event at the firehouse started off with a reading of the Gospel of Luke by Jackson Brooks (at right), a prayer by former fire chief Layne King (seen beside him in the photo) and the singing of carols. Then Santa arrived by firetruck and he immediately got a hug by 5-year-old Adeline Barker (at top, left). He shook hands with many of the adults (top row, middle) before he started meeting with children, including (top row, right) Olivia Barker. The adults also gathered with Santa for photos, including (above) all of the firefighters in attendance that night. (Mary Woodson photos)
