Santa Claus arrives in Northampton on Friday morning, Nov. 29, 2019. Greeting him at the doors of the Hotel Northampton are, from left, Lillian Boyko, 9, of Belchertown, Allie Hioe, 4 1/2, of New York, Lillian's seven-year-old siblings, twins Josephine and Eliza Boyko, and Enrique Camacho Jr., 7, of Belchertown.
Santa Claus arrives in Northampton on Friday morning, Nov. 29, 2019. Greeting him at the doors of the Hotel Northampton are, from left, Lillian Boyko, 9, of Belchertown, Allie Hioe, 4 1/2, of New York, Lillian's seven-year-old siblings, twins Josephine and Eliza Boyko, and Enrique Camacho Jr., 7, of Belchertown. Credit: —STAFF PHOTO/KEVIN GUTTING

NORTHAMPTON – Santa Claus began his 2019 listening tour in the Valley on Friday morning with a two-hour appearance at the Hotel Northampton. Two days ahead of a projected snowstorm, he relied on a Northampton Fire Department engine for his conveyance to the hotel. Once there, and with the help of two elves, he held court in the ballroom to hear the wishes and receive many written lists from the children waiting patiently to see him.

Claus returns to Florence on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 10 a.m. for that village’s 30th annual Holiday Parade, with another listening stop immediately afterward at the Florence Civic Center.

Kevin Gutting can be reached at kgutting@gazettenet.com.