Rancho San Rafael program brings foster families to pick Christmas trees; seasonal Parks employee plays Santa

Washoe County's Parks and Human Services departments host an annual event at Rancho San Rafael that brings foster families to the park to pick Christmas trees harvested from county forest areas, county staff said. The program includes scheduled times for families, hot chocolate and an appearance by a seasonal employee who plays Santa.

"They bring foster families that we serve in Washoe County out to Rancho San Rafael to pick out their own Christmas trees," said Bethany Drysdale, communications manager for Washoe County. Drysdale said the trees are harvested from county forest areas; staff noted crews collected trees from a pocket of trees in the Galena area after the big fire.

Jim Redding, a part-time seasonal Parks employee who also portrays Santa at the events, described the interaction with children as the highlight. "The kids would come in, have hot chocolate, and... sit on my lap," Redding said. He recounted one anecdote in which a child asked for a unicorn and county staff located a unicorn-themed card to show the girl.

Redding said he began working with the county about three years ago and called the seasonal role "absolutely best" of his post-retirement jobs. He told the hosts he previously worked 33 years at a telephone company, drove a school bus for three years and has served as a camp host at nearby Stampede. "I thought, I'm going to do this as long as I can," Redding said.

Drysdale explained the event is jointly organized and scheduled so each family has time to pick a tree without crowding. She said the event is intended to let children "be kids" and to give foster families a festive, low-pressure evening during the holidays.

On attendance, Redding estimated "maybe 30" children over the course of an event night, but the hosts and staff did not provide an exact count or an annual total. The county also said volunteers and seasonal staff support other activities at Rancho San Rafael, such as pumpkin painting, wheelbarrow races and educational programs.

Celia, a park ranger referenced during the conversation, helps organize the events and coordinates logistics with Human Services. The hosts encouraged listeners who are interested in seasonal or volunteer opportunities at Rancho San Rafael to contact the county; Drysdale noted the park is a prominent community venue and county staff run regular public programs there.

Redding said he plans to return for future events. "Oh, he'll be back," he told the hosts when asked whether Santa would return the following year.

Details from the conversation: the event uses trees harvested on county land (Galena area), is scheduled to give each family time to pick a tree, includes hot chocolate and Santa, and is run as a partnership between Parks and Human Services; specific attendance counts and budget details were not provided during the episode.