Santa flies into Lake Country on helicopter for winery's food bank fundraiser

If Santa wasn’t already the coolest, he definitely is now after he arrived at Lake Country’s Ex Nihilo vineyard in style on Saturday.

Kris Kringle decided to give his reindeer a rest and instead flew into Lake Country on a helicopter to take Christmas pictures with families with young children as part of Ex Nihilo’s food bank fundraiser.

Santa Clause made a special stop at Lake Country’s Ex Nihilo Vineyard via helicopter to take special photos with children and their families on Saturday. The views of Lake Country are breathtaking. â¦@KelownaCapNewsâ© https://t.co/VBZghqMMTv

— Daniel Taylor (@DanTaylorKCN) December 1, 2019

Roxanne Krauza, a supervisor at Ex Nihilo’s vineyard, had the privilege of riding with Santa on his way into Lake Country. She said the experience is unforgettable, both for her and the children.

“It was fantastic,” said Krauza. “How can it get any better? You’re coming in by helicopter with Santa.”

“The kid’s reactions were great. You could see them from the sky and they were all waving, including the parents, which was great. They were super excited when we got out of the helicopter and were having a great time.”

While Santa has made an appearance at the vineyard for each of the past four years, this year was special as it was the first time he arrived by air.

Photos with Santa are still available by donation through Sunday and the money will be donated to the Lake Country Food Bank in preparations for the holiday season.

Santa’s visit to the Okanagan is part of The Scenic Sip Trail’s Flights & Frostbites wine tour where eight Okanagan wineries join in the holiday festivities in benefit of the food bank. Last year the Scenic Sip Trail raised almost $4,400.

Ancient Hill, Arrowleaf, Blind Tiger, 50th Parallel Estate, Gray Monk, Intrigue and O’Rourkes Peak Cellars are all offering Christmas-filled-fun-events over the weekend as part of The Scenic Sip Trail.

Mulled wine and crafts, a holiday market, Christmas carolling and more are all part of the festivities at the various wineries where tastings are being served by donation.

@Niftymittens14 daniel.taylor@kelownacapnews.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.