Associated Press
VENETIE, Alaska - There's not a reindeer in sight, but out here in Interior Alaska, six dogs hitched to a sled will do when the jolly round man in a red suit comes to call.
Santa descended from the C-130 transport plane and away they mushed, down a winding trail to the Venetie village school, where children and their parents sat on bleachers, whispering and watching the gymnasium door.
As he has for almost five decades - between early November and mid-December - Santa and his helpers will have dropped in on 18 remote villages across the state, bringing heaps of donated toys, books, school supplies and goody bags filled with fresh fruit, bottled water, toothbrushes and pencils, courtesy of the Alaska National Guard.
"The kids are really excited, especially with Santa coming in on a dog team like that," village chief Dennis Erick said as the Air Force Band of the Pacific played a snappy "Jingle Bell Rock."
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Venetie, a largely Neets'aii Gwich'in Indian community of 300, was among the first on the list this year. The Guard chooses different villages each year, including St. Lawrence Island and Little Diomede Island, a tiny dot just east of the Russian boundary.
"Little Diomede is so remote and they live such a tough life on that rock, it's the least we can do," Maj. Mike Haller, who joined the project in 1986, said. "We also pay attention to places that have experienced fires, floods and other disasters."
Venetie was threatened by a 404,000-acre wildfire last summer that came within three miles of the village, pushing heavy smoke over the region.
Another year, the Yukon River village of Koyukuk was singled out after severe flooding.
The Santa tour was born out of such disaster.
In 1956, floods and a drought ruined the hunting and fishing season for residents in the Western Alaska village of St. Marys. With only enough money to pay to have food shipped in and nothing left over for Christmas, a Roman Catholic mission in the village got involved, Haller said.
The mission's mother superior wrote a letter to the National Guard in Anchorage, asking for help. Word spread, and within days the Guard was inundated with donations of new and used toys. It was only natural to call on Santa.
The mission closed in the late 1980s, but the gift-giving effort continued to grow.
"Now we have 300 volunteers working throughout the year collecting donations, organizing and cleaning them," Haller said.
Guard officials say they know of no similar effort spreading holiday cheer over such a wide area - much of it far from the state's limited road system.
"No one has the challenges we have here in Alaska," Haller said.
So it takes a village to welcome Santa and his entourage. In Venetie, about 160 miles north of Fairbanks, practically everyone got involved.
Inside the gym, villagers set up an elaborate feast of moose-salad sandwiches, salmon macaroni, spaghetti and fresh fruit and chocolate cake.
Then came the moment the children had patiently awaited: sitting on Santa's lap. Some smiled shyly or stared at the floor. Others giggled as they told Santa what they wanted for Christmas.
Venetie may be an isolated community where many homes have no plumbing and residents hunt and fish for much of their food. But as in most of Alaska's 230 or so villages - it has plenty of TVs and computers.
Many children's wish lists were decidedly high tech, leaning toward CD players and video games. The youngsters also asked Santa for puppies, stereos and snowmobiles.
"Some kids want guns. That's really important here in the bush," said Santa, a Guard member whose identity remains under wraps. "One girl said she wanted fun for Christmas. I told her that was my favorite thing."
As soon as they got their gifts, the kids scampered to the bleachers to see what everyone else got.
"Holy Cow! Awesome," 10-year-old Tiliisia Sisto said when Tony Roberts ripped the wrapping off a remote-control car. The 11-year-old boy wasn't as impressed.
"Halo 2 is way better," he said.
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