The Corpolongos of Olalla traditionally tell each other every Thanksgiving what they’d like for Christmas. A few years ago, Michael Corpolongo wished he could be Santa Claus.

“They all looked at me, typically, like I was crazy,” said the father of two.

More specifically, Corpolongo wanted to revive “Santa A-Round Olalla,” a holiday-season tradition in the town. He had been thinking about other longtime Olalla traditions, such as the Fourth of July celebration or the New Years Polar Bear Jump, when he pinpointed Santa.

Santa A-Round Olalla was started by Al Robbecke, owner of the landmark Al’s Grocery, in the 1970s. Robbecke would dress as St. Nick and ride his red tractor around Olalla on the weekend before Christmas, giving gifts to local kids. Al’s son, John, continued the tradition, and another neighbor kept it up until about a decade ago. Corpolongo thought he could be the man to bring it back, although he didn’t have any performing experience — as Santa Claus or otherwise.

“He likes kids,” said Corpolongo’s wife, Debbie. “And he has a loud voice.”

“I have a reputation at Gig Harbor High School,” said Corpolongo, who has lived in Olalla for 29 years. He was known to bellow “I love those three-point plays!” from the bleachers during girls basketball games while his kids were in high school. His daughter, Lisa, may have been embarrassed, but, Corpolongo said, “The coach just loved it.”

Last year, Corpolongo set about reviving the tradition. Al’s old tractor couldn’t be used, but when a family friend need help with moving a golf cart, the Corpolongos saw an opportunity. The Santa costume acquired and the cart tricked out with lights, Corpolongo and his helpers — including Debbie, who drives as Mrs. Claus, a volunteer helper elf and a driver for a pace car to make sure the golf cart wasn’t rear-ended – completed the first Santa A-Round in Olalla in more than 10 years.

They returned this year on Saturday, and followed largely the same route as Olalla Santas from decades past. They started and ended near Prospect Point after a loop around town, and they stopped at houses and other predetermined points. Like Santas before him, Corpolongo hands out “icicles from the North Pole” – cherry-pineapple swirl Popsicles – and poses for photos.

“We do the whole ‘What do you want for Christmas?’ and everything, and I watch dads shrink in front of me,” Corpolongo said with a laugh.

He said kids’ reactions to Santa’s visits are one of his favorite parts of the day, which begins at 10 a.m. and lasts until mid-afternoon.

“The kids are great,” he said. “I asked one group what they wanted for Christmas, and this little girl comes up to me and says, ‘Everything you’ve got,’ ” he remembered.

Corpolongo said during Santa A-Round Olalla’s heyday, 500 or 600 children would line the route for pictures and gifts. He estimates he gets about one-third of that attendance now, but he hopes the tradition will grow again with time.

Some people suggested Santa should set up shop at the Olalla Grange or another permanent location, rather than make a loop through town, Corpolongo said. He bristled at the idea, connected as he is to the event’s tradition. He remembers his children, now grown, seeing the Olalla Santa ride by when they were young.

“The whole idea is that Santa comes to you, to your house,” he said.

The spectacle is part of the event for Corpolongo – the airhorn he blows, the lights on his cart, his booming “Ho ho ho!” on people’s doorsteps. And it’s an event he hopes to continue for years to come.

"I’ll do it for a while until it’s able to be handed over to somebody else,” Corpolongo said. “I would just demand that it stays traditional, to its roots.”

“You can go to the mall to just get your picture taken with Santa,” Debbie added.