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By Megan Sullivan

My favorite tradition started decades before I was born.

In 1946, the Palmer Engine and Hose Company in my hometown of Kinderhook, New York started a Santa Claus club.

Every Christmas Eve, the firefighters would dress up as Santa and bring a present to all the children age 10 and under living in the village. I remember every year coming home from the children’s Christmas Eve Mass and then parking myself in front of the window with my brother, waiting for Santa to arrive.

Besides a present, Santa also always brought a box of the old fashioned hard Christmas candy (though, honestly, I’m not sure if it was called old fashioned in the 80s?).

Even though I now live in North Carolina, we still try to go home to New York for Christmas and my daughter is now a part of this tradition as well. She had her first visit two years ago, although this time Santa came in a firetruck instead of the massive brown station wagon I remember from my childhood. (As a quick runner-up: my other favorite tradition is getting to have birthday cake every Christmas to celebrate my brother who was born on Christmas day).