Susan Ngo, with baby Lizzy in her arms, shepherded her boys Alex, Nate and Sammy Padgett-Ngo towards Santa Friday morning at Shortreed Elementary’s Christmas pancake breakfast.
She had her hands full with three little boys excited to enjoy a meal in the school gym and see the jolly ol’ elf himself.
“It’s our first time coming,” Ngo said.
Alex is a kindergarten student while Nate and Sammy will have to wait a couple of years before attending there but Ngo had a plan to keep her active squad in check – matching snowflake outfits. She joked that way people will know where to return the boys if they stray.
They all tucked into a hearty breakfast after a visit with Santa.
“It’s so well organized,” Ngo said. “Everyone is happy. Everyone’s festive.”
The staff had been at the school the night before and since at least 5 a.m. on the Friday to get ready for the first school community Christmas breakfast in a few years.
It’s the first time parents and siblings could attend since before the pandemic.
The gym was packed as families dropped off money or food donations for the food bank before getting in line at one of three serving stations to pick up pancakes, sausage, and beverages at the school event intended to help create bonds among the families who send their children to the Aldergrove elementary at a time of year when the focus is on goodwill.
The chief elf overseeing the merry meal was Lindsay Romas, a youth work at the school.
“It feels great having everybody back again,” she said.
It’s a lot of work.
“Everyone takes on a role and somehow it just all comes together.
Life's batter with pancakes! Our Community Policing section was stacked when they visited Shortreed Elementary and served over 650 students and families for a hot pancake breakfast! #langley #rcmp #langleyrcmp #langleypolice #bcrcmp pic.twitter.com/SBjWYR18zT
— Langley RCMP (@LangleyRCMP) December 2, 2022
Staff expected to serve more than 600 people with help from community members and members from the Langley RCMP Community Policing office.
Romas said she couldn’t begin to estimate how many pancakes would be served up. Unseen elves were in various rooms cooking to keep the serving stations stocked.
“We have 1,500 sausages today to serve,” she said. “Lots of juice, lots of water, lots of coffee.”
But some of the kids preferred to stand in line to see Santa.
“They are always trying to plan it strategically. Do they see him first or do they eat first,” Romas chuckled.
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• READ MORE: A look back at Aldergrove history
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