Children bundled against the cold lined the streets the wave at Santa riding atop a CAL FIRE/Gridley Fire Department engine as he toured Gridley last week. This little boy waves as Santa makes his way through his neighborhood.

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – A tradition five years in the making hit the streets of Gridley two nights last week, Dec. 16 and 17 as the Gridley fire department/CAL FIRE and Gridley Police Departments took on a special mission.

Santa Claus needed an escort through Gridley to greet the community and remind girls and boys to be good, since Christmas was just around the corner.

Gridley’s fire station 74 crew, engines and ladder truck volunteered to take the big man in red around town two separate evenings, breaking Gridley into a north and south zone.

Gridley Police Department units helped announce Santa’s arrival with sirens chirping, lights blazing and seasonal music ringing through the cold air.

As quickly as they approached, Santa and the folks from CAL FIRE/Gridley Fire Department and Gridley Police Department disappeared into night, leaving a bit of magic of the holidays in their wake.