Mrs. Claus stands to the left of Santa Claus, as he holds four-month-old Aurelia Beard, next to Aurelia’s parents, Lisa and Matthew Beard, and her four-year-old brother, Lochlan, and two-year-old sister, Cassidy, in Blue Moon Cafe on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Shepherdstown Centennial Lions Club held its annual Breakfast With Santa fundraiser at Blue Moon Cafe on Saturday morning.

Both Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus were present at the event, which has been taking place since 2018.

“We love being here at the Blue Moon Cafe and helping the Lions Club!” Santa said.

Mrs. Claus nodded in agreement.

“Mr. and Mrs. Claus went to college at Shepherd, many, many moons ago. We remember when this was a gas station,” Mrs. Claus said of the restaurant. “We then came here when it switched over and became the Blue Moon. We’ve always been friends with the owners.”

A shy young boy whispers his Christmas wish to his mother, as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus look on, in the Blue Moon Cafe on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston

The couple have been volunteering their time as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus at the fundraiser since its beginning. Over that time, they have seen it grow and then shrink in popularity, when the event restarted after its temporary cancellation due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“This year, it seems like we’ve had a much bigger crowd than last year,” Santa said. “It’s so encouraging to see how it has picked back up in attendance!”

According to club president Cheryl Roberts, Breakfast With Santa’s return to pre-pandemic numbers was likely due to a number of factors.

“You can’t go just anywhere and get both breakfast and Santa at the same time!” Roberts said. “People usually go to the mall and take a quick picture with Santa or see Santa in the Christmas Parade, but here, you can come and talk to Santa. At Breakfast With Santa, Santa and Mrs. Claus spend time talking to the kids.”

She said this personal approach ensures each child’s encounter feels just a little bit more magical than some of the other alternatives in the area.

Mrs. Claus chats with a table of breakfasters in the Blue Moon Cafe on Saturday morning. Tabitha Johnston

Another factor behind the growth in this year’s attendance was likely due to the change in date, switching from earlier in the month to the third Saturday in December.

“We’ve had to change the Saturdays around — it depends on the availability of Santa and Mrs. Claus,” Roberts said. “We used to try to coordinate it with the parade, but we’re not trying to do that anymore — there’s too much going on then. I think I like doing this on the third Saturday, because there’s not a lot else going on and families have more time to come here for breakfast.

“This is our seventh year as a club, but we have probably been doing this for about five years. It’s a very successful event,” Roberts said, mentioning a good portion of the funds raised will be used to purchase playground equipment for Shepherdstown Elementary School’s new location. “It gets better and better every year! We’re so happy we can offer this to the community — they look forward to it every year.”

One such family could be found taking pictures with the Clauses midway through the morning. Shepherdstown residents Lisa and Matthew Beard initially began attending the event, to support their club, but it soon became a beloved family tradition for them and their three children: four-year-old Lochlan, two-year-old Cassidy and four-month-old Aurelia.

“We have pictures of me at Breakfast With Santa, when I was pregnant with my son and then when I was pregnant with each of my daughters!” Lisa said. “We have a lot of good memories from coming here.”