Santa visits Dudley to share real reason for Christmas

The siren could be easily heard as Santa Claus rode into Dudley on an old firetruck. Stepping out of the vehicle, Santa greeted everyone with a “Ho! Ho! Ho!” as he walked over to the sidewalk leading to Dylan Harrison Memorial Park to shake hands with children.

The city of Dudley’s annual Christmas tree lighting was held like always, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

 “This is a night we always look forward to, kicking off the Christmas season here in Dudley. We have Santa Claus here who will help us light our Christmas tree in this park where we honor Dylan Harrison,” said Dudley Mayor Jason Locke. ” 

Once Santa pushed a button to turn on the lights, he had a special message for the children and adults in the park.

“There is no better place to be than Dudley, Georgia,” he said. “It’s cold down here, of course not as cold as it is in the North Pole. We’ve been doing a lot of work and making a lot of presents.” 

Santa sat in a tree to read the Christmas story from Luke, chapter 2. He asked for the children to come closer so that it would be easier to hear him.

“Sometimes people think the best part of Christmas is me – Santa Claus,” he said. “But really, the best part of Christmas is Jesus. I want you to know there is no better story that we have than the story of Jesus Christ. As we lit this Christmas tree, people will ride by this park at night and see these lights on this tree. Jesus said you are the light of the world. He said, ‘Let your light shine bright.’”

After that, the children lined up to talk with Santa. Santa plans to come back on at 6:45 p.m., Monday, Dec. 22 in Dudley before delivering presents.