By Crystal Harrell
Santa Claus is coming to town; in fact, he’s already here in the desert with the Missus, making special appearances in various locations throughout the Coachella Valley and gifting the magic of the season for very special causes. La Quinta residents Greg and Laura Little are the familiar impersonators of the North Pole’s most famous residents.The Littles have been performing as Santa & Mrs. Claus for community groups and private events since volunteering for a school fundraiser in 2011.
In 2020, they gained notoriety by filling their green Jeep with decorations of gifts and toys, and driving around spreading joy in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Christmas couple upgraded their wardrobe to custom-created “old world Santa” costumes, and continued to drive their decorated Jeep, where they went viral on TikTok with 1.2 million views in a video caught by a bystander filming their trademark Jeep on the road.
This December, Mr. and Mrs. Claus will make appearances at different locations throughout the desert, spreading the Christmas spirit for different organizations and seasonal programs. Each year, Old Town Artisan Studios in La Quinta transforms its campus into a magical lane to celebrate the holidays. This event is free and open to the public, with the next event dates falling on December 10 and 17. Santa and Mrs. Claus have been known to make appearances at the event—with the Missus reading stories and helping with arts and crafts, and Santa lending an ear to hear Christmas wishes in the cottage.
“Community is so vital to our organization and the holidays are a perfect time to reflect on what’s most important in our lives. This season can be tough for families that do not have the financial means to take part in traditional holiday activities. Gingerbread Lane has evolved into a local family tradition that is free of cost. Visitors can create memories with their loved ones, all while having the opportunity to participate in art activities! With much gratitude to our sponsors, The Saidel’s, we are shuttling in children from Boys and Girls Club in Mecca and Indio to come experience our magical event!” shared Business Development and Volunteer Coordinator of Old Town Artisan Studios, Ivanna Diaz Hansen.
The Family YMCA of the Desert will be hosting a “Breakfast with Santa” on Saturday, December 10th, at The Shops at El Paseo. The event will feature food, crafts, and games, with Santa and friends from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. There is a ten-dollar cost at the door for this event. Donations can be made at: www.ymcaofthedesert.org.
“The Family YMCA of the Desert, 41 years strong in the Coachella Valley, continues to provide trusted, engaging, reliable and caring programs. We are truly grateful for our dedicated community members and for those who would consider year-end giving to support Y programming and Financial Assistance,” stated Paula Simonds, CEO of the Family YMCA of the Desert.
The Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert in Rancho Mirage has plans to reopen in 2023, and is excited to share that there is a plan for reopening in a reimagined way, with the community’s support. The Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert worked with its original exhibit company to design new experiences and programming that the desert community expects and deserves. Those designs are now being prototyped and fabrication has begun. Long term, the Museum has five phases to include a reimagination of all three buildings, a building expansion and new construction, as well as an exterior plan. The goal is to expand the experiences and programming to include all ages and family members.
“We really only have two more fundraising events for December. One runs the entire month of December, which is CV Mama Fitness, and donates a part of the proceeds from all of the fitness classes for this month and there was one class that actually took place at the Museum on Friday. There is also a paper flower making class, which will take place at the Museum in two separate sessions and 100 percent of the admission comes to the museum,” shared CEO of the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert, Cindy Burreson.
Santa and Mrs. Claus recently participated in the “Jingle Bell Rock” event at the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert on December 4th, where attendees enjoyed holiday music, read stories with Mrs. Claus, got the chance to meet Santa, and learned about the Museum’s Re-Imagination Campaign.
“We will always be fundraising—particularly right now due to our reimagination project, which includes fabricating 40 new exhibits and expanding our programming. We ask for our community support, now and always, because this Museum is beloved on a multi-generational level, having been in the desert for 30 years. We are a place where families interact together and learn about themselves in the world around them through hands-on experiences, but we are also an economic driver to the Valley. Our demographic is changing to include more families. Our community support is imperative for us to be able to reopen, and you are not just investing in the museum, but in our greatest natural resource, and our future: the children,” stated Cindy Burreson.
If you would like to be a part of the reopening of the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert and for media inquiries, please contact Cindy Burreson at exec@cdmod.org or visit www.CDMoD.org.
To see a full list of scheduled appearances and events, or to learn more about Mr. and Mrs. Claus, visit their official website at www.palmspringssanta,com, or follow them at Instagram @pssanta.
