DEFIANCE, Ohio — Some children in Defiance got a chance to see helpers for Santa and Mrs. Claus on Wednesday night in the Ralston Apartments neighborhood.
Santa's helper, Chris Durbin, and Mrs. Claus' helper, Trenda Jewell, rode their magical sleigh through the area to drum up some early Christmas spirit. It put neighborhood kids in a great mood because they got to see Santa and Mrs. Claus riding through town and handing out candy canes.
"I think it's really cool that Santa and his wife came to our neighborhood and I'm excited for Christmas," Defiance resident Judah Lucas said.
The sleigh was created and built by Durbin, and Jewell said she couldn't be more proud of their efforts so far as this is the first year Durbin and Jewell have driven a sleigh through town. Since this is the first year, the pair said they just wanted to try something new in order to get everyone excited for the holiday.
"I want all the boys and girls to get into the holiday spirit and if they get a glimpse of Santa, they get excited and pumped up for the spirit of Christmas," Durbin said.
Jewell said she is a big fan of Christmas and they came up with the idea last year but weren't quite able to get it up and moving. But Durbin said after three months of working on the sleigh it all came together because the aim was to make sure it didn't need to run on reindeer power.
They have a full list of stops every weekend until Dec. 23.
And for Romeo Gambler, the sleigh's first stop in Defiance did not disappoint.
"It's the first time I've seen him. I'm really happy. I'm glad they could be there today with us," Romeo said.
If you missed Santa and Mrs. Claus, they will be making multiple more stops in specific Defiance neighborhoods. The ride-throughs will run for about two hours and there is no charge to come out and visit.