Sharing an Oklahoma Christmas Saturday morning

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VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  
(The following is a letter a young boy named Brody might have written to his deployed mother and father about Saturday's Breakfast with Santa in Hangar 170.)

Dear Daddy and Mommy,

I am so looking forward to both of you coming home. Everyone in Oklahoma is getting ready for the holidays. We've hung our lights and decorated the tree. This Saturday, Dec. 11, is Breakfast with Santa at Vance AFB in Hangar 170 from 10 a.m. to noon. Everyone from the Vance community is invited and I'm really looking forward to it.

Yesterday, while visiting the Youth Center on base, I met a Christmas Elf named Kate. She introduced herself and asked me if I wanted to go to Hangar 170 where she and other Christmas workers were getting ready for Saturday's breakfast with Santa. There she introduced me to her helper elf, Cyndi, and Mrs. Claus, whose first name is Lynne.

They all told me how important it was to Santa that we share Christmas early with everyone at Vance AFB. The town of Enid is really excited to have Santa come early and everyone has been so generous helping with Santa's breakfast visit.

Mrs. Claus told me she has worked at other military bases around the world to bring Christmas early, but Vance is by far her favorite base because everyone in Enid and at Vance knows the true meaning of Christmas. They know that it is better to give than receive and they are the most generous of all.

We visited the rest of Hangar 170 and I met other Christmas Elves who were helping get ready for Breakfast with Santa. First, I got to meet Nancy, who was in charge of getting the reindeer ready for some games. She had great games like Rope a Reindeer, Elves Baseball Pitch and Santa's Milk and Cookies Bottle Toss.

Next, I got to see Santa's kitchen where Deb was mixing up a fresh batch of cookie dough for the kids at Vance. She was busy making frosting for everyone to decorate their own cookies. Deb told me to make sure that everyone I know saves time on Saturday to make Moose Munch, Oklahoma ornaments and picture frames with her.

After my visit to Hangar 170 was complete, Kate the Elf said that she had to go to Enid to visit with some local cowboys and one of Santa's dear friends, a doctor who owns a lot of cowboy wagons. Kate told me it was important to Santa that his Enid friends come for breakfast Saturday.

I also met two more Christmas Elves, Cathy and Donna, who were getting ready to take photographs at Saturday's breakfast with Santa. They have planned a special project for the deployed families at Vance AFB. The families will get digital prints of their pictures with Santa so they can send them to their mommy or daddy who is deployed just like you are. To make sure the photos turn out great, two of Santa's helpers, Leigh Witek and Kaitlyn Meidel, will help pose the families and pass out those wonder North Pole candy canes. We have a great community. Everyone is so nice and generous.

All my friends in Enid tell me they are so thankful for your military service to our country and that they are all thinking of you and praying for your safety. Please tell everyone where you are Happy Holidays from all of us here at Vance and in Enid.

Missing you with love,

Brody