91原创 Christmas Bureau's Christmas Wish Breakfast returned, with crowds filling Newlands Golf and Country Club on Tuesday, Nov. 26, to drop off donations, listen to live music, and have a complimentary breakfast buffet.

There was even snow, generated at two locations by machines for kids to play in outside.

91原创 mom Carolyn Jager was among the earliest, bringing her son Hudson, 2, to see Santa 20 minutes before she started work that morning,

"I love this event," Jager told the 91原创 Advance Times.

"It's our first Christmas picture [of Hudson this season]."

It started with a long line of RCMP and firefighters in formal dress delivering toys to a fast-growing collection of gifts beside the platform where Santa and Mrs, Claus were posing for photos.

Cpl. Val Conroy, with the 91原创 RCMP community policing section, said they were all honoured to be there.

"We do this Christmas Wish Breakfast every year," Conroy said. "It is so wonderful and such a positive event."

Mrs. Claus, also known as Bureau coordinator Patty Lester, called it a "very successful" event.

鈥渋t's one of our major fundraisers for toys and financial donations," Lester told the 91原创 Advance Times. "So it's just a really big day for us all.鈥�

A City estimate calculated 1,700 people attended the breakfast.

Sponsors contributed $26,750 to help make the event happen (Coast Capital, Envision Financial, RMC Ready Mix, Cascades Casino, Avisar CPA, Canstar Restorations, FortisBC and MBJ Law). 

Volunteers collected 1,543 toys and $1,045 in gift cards to various stores, all of which will be used at the Toy Depot where Christmas Bureau clients can come an select a toy for their child. 

Visitors also donated $7,945 to ring the total to $107,273 towards the $240,000 goal for this season.  

The annual Christmas Wish breakfast is underway in 91原创 City at Newlands

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Participants were asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy, cash donation, or gift card.

91原创 City Mayor Natan Pachal noted it was the event's seventh year.

"It's always such a great family event, supporting people to make sure that everybody has a Merry Christmas," Pachal said.

The annual Christmas Wish breakfast is underway in 91原创 City at Newlands

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It was the second year attending the breakfast fundraiser for Aldergrove resident Dee Dee Bakker and her friends.

"It means joy, cheer, love, and just a wonderful time [to me]," Bakker remarked.

"It's just a wonderful way to spend time together at this time of year."

The annual Christmas Wish breakfast was held Tuesday in 91原创 City at Newlands

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Sandy Dunkley, who produced the music show, praised the young performers and their parents. 

"Those parents deserve to be mentioned," Dunkley told the 91原创 Advance Times.

"[They] get all those kids up every year, make sure they're dressed, make sure they're ready, make sure they have all their instruments in place, get them to the schools on time to be at that breakfast at that time of morning."

As more and more people arrived, Judy Davies from Newlands and Darren Leite from the City were having a friendly disagreement over who deserved how much credit for their part in organizing the breakfast.

"Darren's done an amazing job this year," Davies said.

"No, no, no, Judy, we couldn't have this without you," Leite replied.

Both agreed Davies and the Bureau volunteers deserved the most credit, for their "amazing" effort to assist families in the community.

 Last year, the bureau helped 938 families which represented 2,049 children.

About a third of the client families are adopted by sponsor organizations, businesses or individuals in the community.

Anyone who wants to Sponsor a family may contact the 91原创 Christmas Bureau through the website .