DOWNEY – Seventy second graders arrived at the Rio Hondo Event Center eager to see Santa. The Rotary Club of Downey was ready to welcome them, with fried chicken and also a carved roast turkey, goody bags, and presents wrapped by the members at their meeting the previous week. The Bob Winningham Banquet Room was filled with smiling faces. 

I was lucky enough to sit with the six second graders from Maude Price Elementary School, their principal Mrs. Meecher and resource teacher Mrs. Annabel Guerrero, who drove the children to the party in their cars.  

There are five rooms for this grade, and the principals have selected children who might not otherwise receive much for Christmas, Mrs. Annabel told me. As a resource teacher she helps with reading and language abilities. Student-teacher ratio is 26, and Maude Price’s enrollment is over 800, 

“We just got approved for construction of new classrooms,” Annabel said. “Thanks to the bond issue.”

Rotarians wore their best Christmas sweaters, red plaid shirts or red turtleneck tees. Teachers were festive and one wore antlers. Dr. John Garcia, superintendent of the Downey Unified School District, wore a new blue plaid vest and matching jacket. Some children wore face masks.

In past years the club has tried serving a buffet of mini hamburgers, or mac and cheese plates, and these often went untouched, but this year the finger food of fried chicken and ketchup for dipping was irresistible, and heaped plates emptied fast.

“What is your favorite time at school?” I asked 7-year old Zella who sat next to me. “Math,” she said. 

“And what did you want to be when you grow up,” I said, expecting a STEM-oriented answer. “An artist,” Zella said.

One of our members had given each child at the table a dollar bill. “What will you do with that?” I asked 7-year old Alondra. 

“I have a special place to keep it, and I will save it up,” she said. Zella nodded the same.

Rotary President Amelia Sanchez in a splendid red silk blouse welcomed the guests, and asked the teachers and principals to stand for special applause. One of the children led the Pledge of Allegiance, and it was said at a slower pace than we were used to, each big word enunciated carefully.

Drs. Dan and Debbie Fox led the room in Christmas songs. The children knew the first lines but not all of the choruses for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells and Feliz Navidad. Just as their well-behaved patience was at its limit, to their treble sounds of Santa Claus is Coming to Town, a right jolly old Santa appeared. He capered around the room on his way to the podium, so all the children could see and welcome him.

Most Santas “say not a word but go straight to their work,” but this was a talking Santa. 

“You children already have a present every day, do you know what that is?” Santa said, taking the microphone. “Your teachers. And do you know what wonderful present you can give your mothers? You can give it to your family and friends too. This is it: be kind to one another.” 

With that, Santa introduced Dr. John, who called each school by reverse alphabetical order to come up the Santa’s chair. Clever Santa read their name tags and called each child by name, and then pictures were taken of each school with Santa. Rotarians gave the color-coded presents.  

Boys got Monsters and Masters of the Universe action figures, or Tonka power cars, and girls got Mattell’s Barbie, empowered in a career like Pediatrician Barbie (Zella got that one), or Movie Director Barbie (for Alondra).  Barbie has the same long blond hair as always, but Mattell stopped giving the brush and comb set several years ago.

The children seemed as fascinated with the toys and candies they dug out of the goody bags as with the one big present. Their eyes shone, and you could see everything was important to them, and appreciated. 

And then in a twinkling, the presents were gathered up, the tables cloths picked clean of the mini candy canes scattered on them, the poincettia centerpieces gratefully taken too. One by one each table was emptied as the children disappeared from the room. Away they all flew like the down of a thistle. 

But I heard Santa exclaim, as they drove out of sight, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”