Ambassadors of Christmas cheer celebrate with a drive-through party 

Two city blocks of citizens in Atwood, Kan., are dedicated to spreading Christmas cheer.

On Dec. 23 of each year, the “Santas on Sixth Street” in tiny Atwood, population 1,100 love to celebrate the Christmas holiday with their friends, all 200-plus of them.

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Every year since 2019, the residents of a two-block stretch of Sixth Street throw a little street party, starting at 7 p.m.

Cars and pickups from across the region make one-way traffic on those blocks, while residents pass out goodies and gifts.

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It’s the brainchild of Gail Britt, who moved to Atwood in 1995. She got the idea from a cul-de-sac area in Salina which hosts a block party in December.  

TREATS AND TOYS

All the families on the street get into the mood, donning Santa hats, with Gail and Terry’s son Tyler dressed as Santa Claus. Each house hands out its own variety of treats: cookies, snack mix, popcorn balls, cider and more.

Britt buys 200 toys: Hot Wheel cars, mini containers of Play Dough or slap bracelets, for the kids.

She plays Christmas music from a big speaker, and the Sixth Street residents, wearing festive clothing, go to the vehicles to pass out the goodies.

Last year, six blocks’ worth of vehicles waited to go through the line; for that night, the police turn that stretch into a one-way street. They average 120 cars through the several-hour block party.

The mailboxes along those two blocks of Sixth Street all have matching red and green lights, and it’s almost like an informal contest between some of the homeowners to have the most decorated houses and yards.

“Everybody decorates to the nines,” Britt said. “I told my husband, we need to get more yard decorations, and he said, no, we don’t, because he knows he’s the one who would put them up and take them down,” she laughed.

Whatever the weather, the Sixth Street Santas are out on the street, passing out goodies. One year, in the bitter cold, they used propane heaters to stay warm. And if senior residents have health issues, they stay inside and wave to the cars passing by.

It’s nothing big or fancy, but people love it and look forward to it each year, Britt said.

“It’s just wonderful,” she said. “It brings people together.”

It’s a reminder of the good things in the world, she said. “There’s still good in the world, and we want to make the most of it. “People just like it and we like to spread the Christmas good will. Camaraderie, fellowship, spreading holiday cheer, that’s what it’s all about. We’re ambassadors of Christmas cheer.”