By Kyle LoJacono
In Lutz, the holiday season does not officially start until Santa stops by the Old Lutz Schoolhouse for breakfast.
For the last 14 years, local residents have organized Breakfast with Santa, which is always the second Saturday in December so it does not conflict with the Lutz Arts and Crafts Festival. This year the event is Dec. 11 from 8:30-11 a.m. at the schoolhouse, 18819 US 41 in front of Lutz Elementary.
“It started when we stopped doing the haunted house at the school,” said Phyllis Hoedt, one of the directors of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Women’s Club and a committee member of the Citizens for the Old Lutz Schoolhouse. “It was a way to say thank you to all the people who helped put that event on and to the community for coming. We knew we wanted to keep doing something at the schoolhouse so we came up with this.”
The group did the haunted house for about 20 years, until it was deemed a fire hazard.
Old St. Nick poses no such danger.
Children will get to meet Santa himself and parents can take their own pictures. The continental breakfast is $2 and also includes crafts for the kids and a tour of the schoolhouse, which will be decorated for the holiday season. Once decorated, it is known as the Christmas house.
“It’s just a great morning with the family,” said Bill Westcott, commander of the North Tampa-Lutz Squadron and committee member of the citizens group. “People come out and have a lot of fun with Santa and it’s become a tradition here.”
Hoedt said the money goes to support the schoolhouse. The building is very old and needs various repairs on a regular basis. It recently had two windows replaced with money raised from similar events. Women’s Club and Civil Air Patrol Squadron help decorate the schoolhouse for the breakfast. There are various holiday events at the Christmas house in the days following the morning with Santa, including nights of singing holiday songs.
The Christmas house will be open to the public from 6:30-9 p.m. each Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday following the breakfast except the week of Christmas and New Year’s Day. For more information, call Hoedt at (813) 949-1937.
