From 8 to 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, Santa Claus will be returning to the Sedona Posse Grounds Hub at Posse Grounds Park for the 14th annual Breakfast with Santa with holiday cheer, miniature ponies, a cappella singers and pancakes.

“Breakfast with Santa is an opportunity for the children of Sedona and the wider community to come out and have a free pancake breakfast and enjoy holiday-themed decorations and a visit with Santa Claus himself,” Parks and Recreation special event coordinator Jason Vargo said.

“The festive atmosphere will extend beyond Santa’s meet-and-greet. Children and adults alike can enjoy a variety of games and activities, adding to the holiday spirit,” the city’s website stated. “There will be a petting zoo, where children can interact with our holiday animals in the Christmas wonderland, spreading the joy and warmth of the season. The sound of Christmas carolers singing their favorite holiday tunes will fill the air, creating a truly enchanting experience as attendees will also be treated to a delicious and free breakfast. The menu includes warm cocoa, fluffy pancakes and refreshing juice, so that everyone is well-fed and ready for a morning full of fun. The aroma of freshly cooked-breakfast will surely add to the festive ambiance.”

New for this year will be a sensory-friendly time for special needs children to visit with Santa, which will take place from 7:30 to 7:55 a.m.

“We will have a letter to Santa station where they can write their letter and they can either deliver it to him directly or they will be able to put it into Santa’s mailbox and it’ll be sent off to the North Pole, as is tradition,” Vargo said.

From 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., the Red RockAppella Ensemble will be performing an hour of Christmas music, including both holiday standards and novelty songs. The a capella group is made up of five members and will be singing throughout the Verde Valley this holiday season.

“It’s one of our favorite events,” member Dianne Evans said. “We do a full hour of Christmas music, a lot of it themed towards the children, and we invite them to come up and play jingle bells with us and shakers, and to be part of the event, and we have a great time. The kids are terrific.”

Residents can also take in a performance by the group at Tlaquepaque on Saturday, Dec. 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. as part of the “Santa Comes to Tlaquepaque” event. In addition to pancakes, sausage, orange juice, coffee and hot cocoa will be served.

“We are working with the sustainability department to further the initiatives towards zero-waste events,” Vargo said. “We will be using compostable flatware and reusable plates for this event, so that will significantly divert waste from an event like this that historically has been throwaway items.”

In addition, Itty-Bitty Pony Parties will be returning this year to provide Santa’s stable. They will set up a petting zoo outdoors in front of the Hub with the help of about 20 volunteers from the Sedona Red Rock High School Interact Club, which will be assisting with the event.

As participants are leaving, they will also receive a small parting gift along with reindeer food.

“We are working on our Winter Play Day, which will be happening on Jan. 14,” Vargo said. “That is a newer event for Parks and Recreation. Our first one was last year and we’re looking at options to create a fun winter play day. [That’s] going to be taking place at Posse Grounds as well … and there will be music and fun and games for sure. However, we are still in the planning stages for that event.”