Starting 20 years ago on the night before Christmas Eve, with what was then one of the parent organizations of the AAFD at the Valencia Fire Department, the request was made by residents of the newly built Valleybrook Farms plan off of Three Degree Road to bring Santa with a fire truck full of presents for the children of the neighborhood. We of course ran with it, making it an annual fundraising event and having a great time with the community outreach. It has been a fun party for us ever since, with us consuming a lot of hot chocolate, cookies, and candy, as well as sharing many laughs and an amazing sense of community togetherness.

Five years later another new plan was added to the Santa visits, the Morning Grove plan, which was built adjacent to Valleybrook off of Ridge Road.

We have steadily added other neighborhoods over the years, and now with the AAFD we visit over twenty different communities every year on Sunday and Thursday evenings in December, always ending with Valleybrook and Morning Grove on our original Christmas Eve Eve. And although this year was our biggest year ever on the fundraising side, raising over $6,000 to help alleviate the ever rising costs of training and equipment needed for our mission to protect our community, that doesn’t compare to the amazing sense of wonder and magic of Christmas and Santa Claus we get to bring to the most important members of our community, our children.

We at the AAFD appreciate the graciousness and support of all of our communities, and wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season! We can’t wait to see you and enjoy your company for the holidays next year!