A Magical Experience!Santa’s Farm Grand Blanc

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, with twinkling lights and decorated Christmas trees. But most importantly – Santa Claus has come to town!

At Santa’s Farm in Grand Blanc, Dan and Kerrie Hajek will be making holiday memories again this year by offering personal interviews with The Big Man himself!

The Hajeks started Santa’s Farm in 2018 to provide magical and memorable experiences with Santa and Mrs. Claus. According to Kerrie, their daughter Tara and their five grandsons had taken a trip to the mall to see Santa. It was an exhausting excursion as they had to stand in line for almost two hours to see the jolly old man for just a moment. On the way home, Tara stopped by to visit her parents and told Dan, “Dad, you have to be Santa!” Kerrie was on board with the idea. “My husband has always been Santa ever since our kids were little,” she shares, “so it was natural for him to step into that role.”

On their ten-acre property, the couple converted a grain bin into a festive meeting place complete with a Christmas tree, a fireplace and of course, Santa’s chair. Kids could sit on Santa’s lap for 20 minutes to share their Christmas lists and parents could take photos. Elves would escort them to the large, decorated pole barn that housed Santa’s sleigh and a play area where kids could have fun with old-fashioned toys, drink hot chocolate and eat popcorn. “The yard was decorated and lit up like Frankenmuth!” Kerrie exclaims. The first year, 150 families visited and nearly 350 kids. “Then, COVID hit,” she adds “and we could no longer offer private visits with Santa.”

“We just love to see the joy it brings the kids and their parents. There is no way to describe how it makes our hearts feel.”
“Mrs. Claus” Kerrie Hajek

But that didn’t stop the Hajeks from continuing the tradition. In 2020 and 2021, they created an opportunity for drive-through visits on weekends in December. Instead of paying an admittance fee, visitors were asked to bring non-perishable donations for FISH of Grand Blanc, a non-profit organization helping families in need in the Grand Blanc School District. “The kids loved it!” Kerrie exclaims. “Cars were backed up from Vassar Road all the way to Perry Road. We had a lot of visits!”

This year, drive-through visits will be available on Friday December 16 and Saturday December 17 from 5-7pm. Also, the Hajeks are very excited to bring back personal visits this year on a smaller scale and by appointment only, starting the first week in December. Elf Jan, Elf Daphne, Elf Jeanna and Elf Lynn will be handing out candy canes. Santa and Mrs. Claus are also available for home and office parties. “A lot of people need Santa Claus,” Kerrie says with a smile.

Always known to her family as Mrs. Claus, Kerrie loves the spirit of the season. “I love Christmas – I start playing Christmas music in July!” The Hajeks are very excited to continue sharing the magical experience of a personal visit with Santa. “We just love to see the joy it brings the kids and their parents. There is no way to describe how it makes our hearts feel.”