Santa Parachutes in to Oceanside

Promise Yee

OCEANSIDE, CA -- All eyes looked to the sky at Mission Marketplace on November 28, awaiting Santa’s arrival by parachute. A plane hovered overhead and out popped a small red spec that slowly grew into the recognizable jolly figure as he fell closer to the crowd on the ground. A safe landing brought cheers from hundreds waiting to meet Santa.

Sarah Wright, her husband and son Garvi were among those cheering Santa’s arrival. “We came just as Santa was dropping out of the sky,” Sarah Wright, of Oceanside, said. The annual parachute arrival of Santa Clause is a yearly must see for many boys and girls. For 11-month-old Garvi it’s a first. “He thought it was so exciting,” Wright said. “Its his very first trip to see Santa.”

Cynthia Gonzalez, marketing director of NewMark Merrill Companies, estimates 1,000 attended the event. “It’s a staple, I think everybody in Oceanside knows Santa Clause parachutes into Mission Market Place every year,” Gonzalez said. “Its just a great community event that we do to thank all our shoppers.”

To celebrate Santa’s arrival there are free kiddy rides, entertainment, and food for families to enjoy. “I went on the train, took a picture with Santa,” Antonio Reyes, age 6, of Oceanside, said. Antonio said his next plan is to eat some cotton candy.

“Its very exciting, there’s nothing like it in San Diego,” Gonzalez said. The winter wonderland boasts seven-foot tall balloon snowmen, a kid’s crafts area to decorate stockings, a photo tent for pictures with Santa, and real snow to frolic in. There are also roaming carolers, magicians and stilt walkers to entertain the crowd. “There’s face painters, balloon artists everything you can think of for families to enjoy,” Gonzalez said. “We just try to kick off the holiday spirit. Its just a way for us to give back to the community.”