Country Santa is Buddy Cox, but it is also the name of the small army of volunteers he calls his elves. They help him to gather the donated toys and deliver them to the workshop Cox has next to his home. Cox and the elves go through the donated toys and discard the used toys that are in too bad a condition.

The elves then go through the list of needy children, picking out $50 worth of toys to match up with each child. Each child also receives a letter on a red-sheet of paper that reads: "with love from Jesus and Country Santa."

On Christmas Eve, Cox and the elves deliver the toys. Last year over 2200 children received toys through Country Santa, and they expect to help more this year.

Fire Station Offers Holiday Safety Tips

The beautiful decorations during this time of year provide us with joy and beauty, but they can also be fire hazards. The Prater’s Creek Volunteer Fire Department wants to educate the public and prevent any such holiday accidents from happening. Chief Flint McCalister says the fire department "has a pamphlet with helpful information to keep anybody from burning down their house." The pamphlet has tips about keeping your tree from getting too dry. Chief McCalister said that when you first bring the tree into the house "you need to cut two inches off of the bottom" and to make sure to keep plenty of water in the stand. "A new cut tree will drink up lots of water the first few days" the Chief advised, "so keep lots of water in the stand, and don’t put it near your buck stove or fireplace."

The pamphlets are free to the public. You can stop by the Fire Station during the hours from 8 AM to 5 PM to get one. Chief McCalister said that with each pamphlet "you also get a free 8-Track of me and my band The Flat Tops doing Christmas music".

Santa To Be At Local Store

Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick will be at Livwright’s General Store today from 3-7pm. The Gazette was able to get Ol’ St. Nick on the phone from the North Pole and ask him how he could fit our little town into his busy schedule. "Well, I know the children in Prater’s Creek have been good this year! Santa told the Gazette. "And", he added, "they got the best fruit cake I ever ate!"