LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Thousands of families visit Santa Land in Mackenzie Park each year to kick off the Christmas season, but for one family, the winter wonderland holds special meaning as the place where their family began.
Travis Warmoth proposed to his then-girlfriend, Emily, at Santa Land seven years ago, catching her completely off guard.
“It was a huge surprise, I was not expecting it,” Warmoth said “It was awesome, it was one of the best nights of my life. It was such a surprise and the best surprise,” she said.
The proposal location was particularly meaningful because Emily spent her childhood going to Santa Land nearly every year, a tradition passed down from her father’s childhood.
“My dad was born the year Santa Land opened. So, it’s been a tradition to come here almost every year,” Emily said. “It’s so special to him.”
Working in retail during the holidays in college had turned Travis into something of a Grinch. But he knew how much Christmas and Santa Land meant to Emily and her family, so he chose that as the perfect spot to start their future together.
The couple married the next year. They bought the family business, moved into a bigger house and had two children.
Their daughter Eloise was born in 2022 and is now three years old. This marks her third visit to Santa Land.
Baby Warner just arrived in September, 10 weeks early. Emily spent two weeks in the hospital before his birth due to bleeding risks. The family then spent nine weeks in the NICU before Warner made it home just in time for Thanksgiving.
“He just wanted to meet us sooner,” Emily said.
Now the family gets to experience the magic of Christmas through their children’s eyes.
“It makes the whole journey worth it and in hindsight it never seems like that bad of a challenge, so it’s always nice to have something so gratifying to look back on the hard times,” Travis said. “And just take a breath and be thankful for what we have and be appreciative and just enjoy the little things in life and not be grumpy about the holiday spirit.”
They hope to continue the tradition of visiting Santa Land with their family, the place where it all began.
“Definitely continuing this tradition if we can and hoping, you know, when they’re teenagers being like, okay, yeah, we’re still going in. We’re still going to come in here and get the picture.”
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