Seniors have festive breakfast with Santa Claus

More than 150 seniors were treated to a free breakfast, gift cards and a visit by Jolly Old St. Nick at the annual Senior Center “Breakfast with Santa” event from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“You look beautiful today,” Costa Mesa CEO Tom Hatch told the festively dressed crowd. “My compliments to the crew. Everything here looks spectacular.”

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Costa Mesa police officers and fire fighters, including Chief Dan Stefano, served breakfast to the delighted crowd, each of whom were also presented with a $5 gift card. The seniors were also treated to Christmas tunes and other melodies by local musician Tom Reich and his accompanist Valerie.

The cards were part of $1,300 raised and donated by city employees.

In addition to a visit by Santa Claus, the seniors played games such as “Pin the nose on Rudolph” and a wreath toss to win raffle prizes.

“It’s probably one of their favorite events,” said Senior Center Program Administrator Yvette Aguilar. “They look forward to this all year long.”

Aguilar also credited the Senior Center staff for the time and work they put in arranging the event.