As Christmas Eve approaches, Santa Claus is busy prepping his sleigh for his annual journey to bring toys to children around the world.

Though he has a very busy day, Santa is set to make a few stops in Southeast Saskatchewan along the way. 

Rhonda and Jeremy Garling have invited Santa to join them on Christmas Eve in Stoughton and Lampman to bring joy to the Nursing Home residents waving through the windows. He then will later be making his way around the Town of Lampman bringing toys to those who have pre-arranged present drop-offs and photo ops! For more information check out the Lampman Recreation Facebook page. 

The Garlings are known throughout the Southeast for their adorable ponies which were a gift from a friend, David Anderson. When Anderson was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, it soon became clear that it would be unsafe for him to continue to go out on the cart with the ponies. Him and his daughter, Janet, made the decision to give them to Jeremy as his love for riding horses was becoming unsafe due to his own medical issues.

"Jeremy could not safely ride a horse anymore due to the medical issues he has been going through since January 2017. He was reliant upon a walker or cane and some days he could barely walk." Said Rhonda Garling.

"David Anderson from Estevan gifted my husband the ponies so he could still enjoy the horses but stay safe. He gave my husband the greatest gift he could ever have really, it gave him part of his life back to be able to go out again and enjoy riding." She added.

The two started this tradition back in 2019 but were unable to go through with it in 2020 due to strict COVID-19 restrictions. With the restrictions being a bit looser this year, they are excited to continue.

"It's just a way for us to bring joy to peoples lives during the Christmas time." Said Jeremy Garling. "People have approached me and asked to give donations and we just ask that you pay it forward and give it to a local food bank or someone in need." he added.

"One thing that is missing in society is a lot of smiles and laughter and thats what were for. Even if people are laughing at us, hey at least they are laughing!" Rhonda closed with.

If you are in the Stoughton or Lampman area on Christmas Eve keep an eye out for Jolly Saint Nick and send photos to the Sun102 Facebook page or email them to news@discoverestevan.com!