EXETER TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The Pagoda’s familiar red lights are set to flash on Christmas Eve for the first time since 2021, signaling that Santa is on his way.
“Thankfully, it’s coming back, and the lights are too,” said local historian Charles Adams III.
Adams has some fond memories of the Christmas Eve tradition atop Mount Penn.
“Back when I was a kid, a little kid, we lived in Exeter Township, and we got word on the radio that the lights would be blinking at the Pagoda,” he recalled.
He says his family would hop in the car and drive to east Reading, where they could see the Pagoda and listen to the radio.
“Santa Claus would start talking about how he’s coming to Reading eventually, and when you see the lights blinking on the Pagoda, all little boys and girls have to go to bed, because he’s going to start his trip from the North Pole down to Reading,” explained Adams.
For years, Adams only associated the jolly voice with Santa and the Pagoda’s light-blinking tradition until one day, in his teen years, when he was at his grandfather’s house.
“Somebody opened a door under the steps that went to the second floor, a big closet. There was a tape recorder and there was ‘ho, ho, ho’ and my grandfather looked at me, and it was my grandfather recording one of his Santa Claus shows,” said Adams.
He says he’s grateful for the return of the tradition which celebrates a season of hope that so many long for.
“It’s going to bring sort of tears to your eyes when you see that,” added Adams. “It’s the old days. That’s Santa Claus coming to town.”