Santa Claus Flies in Toys on a Bittersweet Mission

Santa Claus flew into Acton on Sunday afternoon, but via a helicopter instead of a sleigh.

Actually, the helicopter was piloted by Bob Garland, 36, outfitted in a Santa Claus suit. He surprised about 50 children, and undoubtedly a few adults, when he landed at the Robin’s Nest trailer park with a big bag of presents.

Garland’s wife, Perri, 30, said the couple staged the giveaway to help them cope with the loss of their 5-year-old son, Ryan, who was killed in a horseback riding accident in October. The Garlands, who live in the trailer park, operate a small helicopter service.

Garland said that her husband and Ryan talked several months ago about delivering presents to the youngster’s friends by helicopter.

“Ryan used to ride around with Bob in the helicopter all the time,” Garland said, “and he always wanted to see Santa Claus in a helicopter.”

After Ryan was killed, the Garlands decided to abandon their plan.

“We just sat around and got very depressed,” said Perri Garland. “But then we thought, ‘Wait a minute. Let’s do it for Ryan.’ That’s the biggest reason we did it.”

The couple’s neighbors helped organize the event. On Sunday, Bob Garland went to Van Nuys Airport and rented a helicopter.

About 2:15 p.m., Garland’s helicopter appeared above the Robin’s Nest trailer park.

“Parents ran outside and shouted to their children, ‘Look, Santa’s here,’ ” Perri Garland said. “Some of the kids said, ‘Wait a minute, Santa’s supposed to have a sleigh and reindeer.’ They just got real excited.”

After landing, her husband stayed about two hours handing out presents and candy to the children, who ranged in age from 3 to 12, Garland said.

A helicopter crew from a radio station spotted her husband flying in the area, followed him to the trailer park and joined in the fun, she said.

Garland and her husband, who also have a 2-year-old daughter, Aron, had not called the media because they did not want publicity. However, she understood why the radio crew investigated the sighting.

“It’s not every day you see Santa flying across the sky,” she said.