For decades, Santa has had a special mission in North Texas: to take to the skies and spread holiday cheer.

Flying in a modern-day sleigh, a red Bell helicopter, Santa and Mrs. Claus visit school after school, nursing home after nursing home.

On Thursday, they landed at 11 schools across the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District.

In Hurst, students at Donna Park Elementary gathered on the blacktop around 9:30 a.m., jumping and dancing in anticipation. By 9:45 a.m., the whirring of helicopter blades filled the air. Little hands pointed skyward as some spotted Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving overhead.

Sixth grader Emma Salazar and her kindergarten buddy were the first to greet the famous couple after they touched down.

“It was cool and I really, I was really excited because I was the one that got picked,” Salazar said.

The Clauses don’t bring gifts. Their mission is all about high-fives and hugs for hundreds of students.

“It’s not about the candy. It’s not about the presents. It’s about being together and just the happiness and joy,” said Julie McAvoy, principal of Donna Park Elementary.

McAvoy has worked in the district for 25 years and has witnessed the tradition each of those years. This was her final year.

“Every year, it’s a little bit different with the faces of the kids, but this year was extra special to see how excited they were to have Santa actually fly in, to give that last hug to Santa and Mrs. Claus,” she said.

Even in retirement, McAvoy said she plans to return next year—even if it’s just from beyond the playground fence.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. This is something that makes the Christmas spirit come alive,” she said.

At each visit, Santa is joined by friends like elves, Rudolph or Frosty the Snowman.

“There’s about 50 of us that work together, and we have to put all this together, plan it,” said Randy Lockhart, executive director of Santa’s Texas Team and Santa’s longtime right-hand man.

He and his team of volunteers return year after year for one reason.

“Seeing the joy of the kids and the excitement that we see and just the pleasure that we get to bring,” Lockhart said.

Lockhart has been part of the tradition for nearly 40 years. He said the nonprofit has been running since the mid-1970s.

“We have parents that are bringing their kids because they remember seeing this when they were kids here,” he said.

That includes Lockhart’s own children and now grandchildren, some of whom also volunteer.

Planning begins in April, and it takes a full team to pull it off. Firefighters and police officers provide support at each stop, and Bell provides the helicopter.

The rides start Dec. 1 and include visits to local nursing homes.

“We have residents in some of the nursing homes that will get up at five o’clock in the morning anticipating us being there, and they’ll dress up,” Lockhart said. “It reminds them of their youth.”

To keep the tradition alive, Lockhart said the team needs more hands.

“We need people to come work with us. We need help. We need people that are willing to give their time, give their effort to bring joy,” he said.