More than 7,000 Jamaicans lined King Street to welcome Santa Claus, who arrived in a white sleigh drawn by six reindeer and brought festive excitement to children and adults alike. After waving to cheering crowds, Santa made his way into Times Store, where he took his seat on a red-and-white velvet throne and began handing out gifts to eager youngsters and grown-ups who had gathered for the beloved annual tradition.

Published Sunday, December 6, 1964

7,000 watch Santa’s King Street ride

Young and old gay mood 

A sea of heads stretching from as far as the Kingston Parish Church to Victoria Pier lined both sides of King Street yesterday afternoon as an estimated 7,000-odd citizens waited for the annual Santa Claus parade.
In an effort to gain a good vantage point to see the colourful spectacle, small children pressed their faces close against the rails which the police had used to cordon off the surging crowd and keep the street clear for the floats and pedestrians in the parade.
Long before the first participants appeared, the “small faces,” as well as grown-ups, had caught the Christmas spirit and sported gaily coloured balloons in many shapes. Small boys darted in and out of the throng, firing cannonballs within inches of the feet of understanding policemen, who only acknowledged the mischief with a smile.
Little girls were dressed in Indian party dresses, slim sets and even cowgirl outfits, while the small boys sported guns in holsters and colourful sport shorts teamed with pants like “Daddy’s.” Sweets and ice-cream vendors had a thriving business while the crowd waited for the arrival of the parade in the tropical sun.
The shaking clowns, in costumes of all descriptions, arrived to the sound of wild cheering, while others of their group puppeted the pavement on roller skates and steered their go-karts in a zigzag fashion to the intrigue or fascination of onlookers. The nearsighted Mr. Magoo, Jambe the elephant, and caricatures of popular personalities formed the guard of honour far ahead of the red-and-white-costumed drum majorettes who came along whirling and twirling their batons.
The Band of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, led by Supt. B. G. Wootton, brought the first group of musicians, who melted dance steps from spectators as they played “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” in ragtime. Mother Goose, Popeye, Olive Oyl, the Pharaoh with his pyramid and sphinx, and the old lady who lived in a shoe were near followed by a group of Cub Scouts.
From the fairy-tale era came Captain Kidd and the Alligator, Peter Pan, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, who in turn received their applause from an enthusiastic crowd.
Jamaica’s folklore character, Brer Anancy, came dressed in the national colours of black, green and gold and rode majestically along, his cart pulled by four small boys as only Anancy can trick others into doing his dirty work.
A Drum Corps from the Boy Scouts beat out pulsating rhythms while the cat and the fiddle tried to retrieve the cow from over the moon, giving the dish time to run away with the spoon.
The Jamaica Military Band really brought more life to the parade, and the ongoing band alternated Lord Kitchener’s “Road March” with “The More We Are Together.” After they had the crowd swinging in limited space for the better part of half an hour, the band changed the tempo to one fitting the season and thus provided the fanfare and introduction for the arrival of Santa Claus himself.
In a showy white sleigh drawn by six reindeer, Santa sat in his traditional red-and-white attire and waved to his numerous fans, who sent up a thunderous roar of applause for the jolly old gentleman. It was then that the police were at their wits’ end to keep spectators behind the cordons, and it was evident that Santa had not only brought cheer to his admirers, he had brought added work to the Police Force!
While the policemen fought to control the crowd, Santa alighted from his sleigh and made for the entrance of Times Store to be greeted by the Commissioner of the K.S.A.C., Mr. Eustace Bird, and Mr. Herman Spoerri, manager of the Times Store.
Mr. Bird received the first present from Santa and escorted him inside the store, leaving behind a wildly cheering crowd which the police sought to hold back. From the balcony of the store, Santa waved to his friends, who once more sought to follow him into the Times Store.
In small groups, the crowd dispersed while Santa took his seat on his red-and-white velvet throne and started his distribution of presents to children and grown-ups who had by then gained entrance to the building.

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