It was a day for Santa, superheroes and servers.

This was Christmas in the Milwaukee area in 2023.

On Monday morning under gray skies, firefighters gathered at Children’s Wisconsin hospital in Wauwatosa to bring some holiday cheer to patients.

The firefighters from Milwaukee, St. Francis and Wauwatosa didn’t go from room to room bearing gifts. Instead, they swooped high in buckets tethered to two ladder trucks.

Up and up they went, 80 feet at least, a man dressed as Santa Claus, others dressed as superheroes like the Green Lantern and Captain America.

They waved to the kids inside. And the kids waved back.

This was the sixth year the firefighters showed up on Christmas morning, a delightful way to cheer up to those in a hospital, away from home.

Trevor Pinkalla, a Milwaukee firefighter, and his 13-year-old son Brian, a cancer survivor who once spent six months as a patient at Children’s, were the ones who inspired the effort as a way to give back to others.

“We decided as a department and a community to bring Santa here,” Pinkalla said, enabling the kids, some of whom have compromised immune system, to have a bright Christmas.

“The first year we did this, we had like one-degree temperature with a windchill and all the guys on the rigs were saying absolutely, let’s still do it,” Pinkalla said. “This means a lot to them, too. A lot of them have young children, too.”

Over at the Baird Center, a different kind of holiday tradition was playing out — the 34th Salvation Army Christmas Family Feast.

Under the leadership of chef Bernhard Trivalos and hundreds of volunteer staff, 4,000 meals were prepared and served, turkey and ham and all the trimmings.

There was a wrinkle from past years. With the Baird Center undergoing renovations, the main dining area was moved from the first to the third floor.

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But everything ran like clockwork, as servers brought plates overflowing with food to the guests who sat at round tables.

“It just feels like family, Milwaukee coming together for a wonderful Christmas meal,” said Debra Klepp, a retired school principal who was volunteering for a 10th year.

“This is what the spirit of the holidays is,” she said. “Peace and joy and love. I love this Milwaukee family.”

Kids gathered around Robert Boyd, who once again fulfilled the role as Santa. There was music in the air and books and toys for children and heavy socks for the adults.

“I like that they give us seconds,” said Felicia Northern, who was there with her partner Curtis Clay. “Everyone is getting along, just like it should be.”

Clay, who a U.S. Air Force veteran cap, said simply: “This is a wonderful place to be.”

Truly, it was.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A Milwaukee Christmas Day for Santa, superheroes and servers