So Where Does Santa Claus Spend His Down Time?

So where does Santa Claus spend his down time? After the Christmas rush he must need a little rest and relaxation. I’ve always assumed that he went somewhere tropical, perhaps the Caribbean or Tahiti. He does have excellent transportation at his disposal so getting there shouldn’t be a problem. Well, my granddaughters and I found out that Santa spends at least some of his time off right here in northern Illinois at his own little fun park in Dundee called, not surprisingly, Santa’s Village.

Santa’s Village opened its doors in 1959. Many of my cousins lived in Chicago and when they would come out to the country for a summer visit my mother would load us into the car and take us to this Christmastime theme park. My favorite attraction at the park was the North Pole, a giant pole that was perpetually frozen even in the 90 degree summer heat. It was the perfect place for a photo op and no child could resist touching its shivery surface. My favorite ride was the Christmas tree ride where you could sit in an oversized Christmas ornament that went up and down as you circled a huge, spinning, snow covered tree. I also remember the Pumpkin Coach, a carriage reminiscent of the fairy-tale vehicle where little girls could feel like Cinderella as they were driven through the park by a team of white horses.

The parks buildings were the storybook variety, decorated with gingerbread trimmings. Giant, colorful toadstools and mushrooms dotted the park. According to Park creator Glen Holland, in Norwegian legends Vindican were tiny craftsmen who lived in toadstools and mushrooms and they were directly related to other legendary little people such as pixies, gnomes and elves. By creating the fungi homes in the park, Holland supplied on-site housing for Santa’s helpers. Of course Santa’s summer home was also in the park. It was amazing double-chalet style architecture with candy cane trimmings and it had a wooden animal sculpture garden in the back yard.

By the mid-1970s my husband and I were trekking to Santa’s Village with our own children. It was always clean and well-tended, and just the right size to spend the day with little ones. The children loved the rides, which were just their size, and all the animals, including reindeer, available for petting. You could even sit on Santa’s lap and get a head start on your Christmas wishing. It was so much fun to see snow on the ground in in July, even if it was the plastic variety. I remember packing picnics to eat in the sun and then sitting in the shade with a toddler napping in a stroller.

A few years ago the daughter of a friend of mine who had spent her early childhood in Illinois then moved to California was in the area visiting with her young family. We met for lunch to reminisce about the fun our families had together and she asked if I remembered a place that had a giant Christmas tree and a giant snowman that you could ride in. I realized that she must have meant Santa’s Village and after she returned home I sent her copies of the postcards shown above. Though she was only six when they moved to California the images of the Christmas theme park sparked a lot of fun memories.

In 2006 my daughter was planning to bring our toddler granddaughter home for a visit. She asked about taking Evie to Santa’s Village. It was then that I read about the park’s financial trouble and subsequent closing. It was very sad. Santa’s Village was one of those iconic places that you just expected to be there forever and then all of a sudden it was no more. This summer my daughter was bringing both of our granddaughter’s home for a visit and leaving them with us for an entire week so we were looking for some family oriented entertainment. I happened to see an article about the reopening of the park as Santa’s Village AZoosment Park and I was delighted.

On a bright, sunny, August day we packed up our girls and trekked over to Dundee for a day at Santa’s Village Azoosment Park. Because we had birthday money to spend we stopped first in the gift shop which was brimming with fun toys and souvenirs. Each girl chose a colorful plush frog so they had a new friend to accompany them through the park. Next we stopped for a great souvenir photo of the girls at the same North Pole, still frozen after all these years. Much to my surprise, it wasn’t quite as big as I remembered. There were lots of families there, but it wasn’t crowded and the lines for the rides were very short. As in the past, the rides were the perfect size, some for grandparents to ride along and some just for kids. The girls love animals and were thrilled to stand in the Scales and Tails aviary where hundreds of budgies live. The colorful little birds bravely ate peanut butter and seeds off sticks the girls held in their fingers. There are also displays of live reptiles in this attraction. The park has a koi pond and Tortoise Island where you might be lucky enough to have one of the old fellas come up to you for a pet. The girls had an up close and personal animal experience in the remarkably clean petting zoo where goats, llamas, donkeys, chickens and many other animals live in perfect harmony. That is until one of the goats tries to eat your shorts or pick your pocket. And who doesn’t love to ride a pony or snuggle up to a reindeer?

As in the old days, the park was clean and well-tended with lots of new plantings, flower gardens and freshly painted buildings and mushrooms. The food wasn’t remarkable, but it was the first summer back in operation so I’ll give them time to improve. However, there’s lots of picnic style seating and any family on a budget could easily bring their own lunch to enjoy. All the rides and attractions are included in the one admission fee, and when you take into consideration that a family can spend the entire day there, it’s a great value. So if you have a chance next summer when the park reopens, stop in to say hello to Santa. He’s rested, relaxed and has time to chat. The girls are looking forward to another visit next year so they can get their Christmas wishes in early.

All of the postcards shown above are from the Curt Teich Postcard Archives and were printed in 1972.