It wasn’t a typical school morning for Steamboat Springs School District students riding Bus Route 12 on the last day of school before winter break. Instead of the usual hum of conversation and rattle of backpacks, the sound of Christmas music filled the air — and Santa himself was along for the ride.

Matt Caron, who has been driving buses for the district for the past seven years, came up with the idea for a Christmas-themed morning bus ride — something he described as a “trial run” — while thinking of ways to “elevate” the students’ holiday experience.

Caron decorated his bus with flashing holiday lights, silver garland and even enlisted help from a small team of Steamboat locals he called the “Elf Committee” — his daughter, Austin Caron, and her friend, Skylar Weir.

As students climbed aboard, the elves handed out cookies and candy canes, setting the tone for a festive commute. Inside, laughter and Christmas singing echoed from one end of the bus to the other.

The centerpiece of the celebration, though, was Steamboat’s very own Santa Claus, played by longtime local and lifelong educator Brad Kindred. 

Caron joked that he had “called the North Pole” and “talked to Mrs. Claus” to see if Santa was available, but in truth, he’d reached out to Kindred, who volunteered to join the ride and spent the morning chatting with children and asking what they hoped to find under the tree.

To make the trip even more memorable, two Routt County Sheriff’s Office school resource officers escorted the bus — Stephen Harbison in the front car and Lisa Eifling behind. Eifling said she even played Christmas music in her patrol car to match the spirit on the bus.

For many kids, the surprise was pure magic. 

“I can’t believe my eyes,” one Strawberry Park Elementary second-grader, who boasted her best pajamas for Pajama Day, told another student on the bus. “This is like the Winter Sports Club bus, but funner!”

To complete the scene, Superintendent Celine Wicks joined in the fun too, appearing at the school dressed as Frosty the Snowman to greet students as they arrived.

Caron said he plans to make the themed ride a tradition “as long as Santa is available.”