The challenge
A tradition that runs on neighbors
What we built
- Custom WordPress theme
- Illustration-led design
- Elf Factory wish catalog
- Letter to Santa flow
- Track Santa map
- Donations and volunteer sign-ups
The result
A neighborhood’s Christmas Eve
The challenge
A tradition that runs on neighbors
Every Christmas Eve, Santa trades his beach chair for a sleigh and makes his rounds through South Creek in Coconut Creek, Florida. Families gather for photos at Donaldson Park, the sleigh sets off with its sirens going, and neighbors in decorated golf carts follow along behind. The whole thing is organized by the South Creek Community Organization (SCCO) and powered by volunteers.
The tradition needed a home online: one place for the schedule and route, a way to raise the money that keeps the night running, and something to make kids even more excited for the big night. It’s our neighborhood too, so we were proud to help bring it to life as a way of giving back.
How we did it
Building it for South Creek Santa
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A countdown that sets the mood
The home page opens on a hand-illustrated South Creek, with palm trees, a beach-ready Santa and a countdown to Christmas Eve in “more sleeps.” Right below, Christmas Eve at a glance covers the essentials: photos with Santa at the park, the time the sleigh departs, and the window for the neighborhood drive. Confirmed times and estimates are clearly labeled, so nobody waits on the wrong corner.
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The Elf Factory and My Sleigh
The Elf Factory holds 743 wish ideas, each with its own illustration, that kids can search and filter by category and age. Age guidance stays guidance only: the site never asks for a birthday. Ideas go into “My Sleigh,” and a share link (or a quick email) sends the sleigh to parents, grandparents and anyone else who might be helping Santa this year. Every page also gently reminds kids that a wish can be a beach day or a kindness for someone else.
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Writing to Santa
The letter flow walks kids through five simple steps: optional ideas from their sleigh, a grown-up check, writing (or drawing), a review, and sending it off. Toys are never required. Letters and drawings live only in the page while it’s open and are never saved, which keeps things simple and private for families.
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Track Santa
Track Santa shows the approved route with its seven stops, plus a live sleigh map designed for a phone riding along on Christmas Eve. We built it with families in mind: only the event vehicle appears and only during the event window, nobody has to share their own location to watch, every update shows when it arrived, and publishing stops the moment the drive ends. Live tracking is planned for a future Christmas Eve, and until then the page shows the route and the committee’s posted status.
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A little extra magic
Neighbors can press and hold a star for three seconds to make a wish, send good vibes, donate toward Santa’s Christmas Eve insurance with a live progress bar, or sign up as a (very festive, unpaid) elf. There’s a committee-approved photo gallery, quick answers that only show confirmed information, and bunnies hiding all over the site for sharp-eyed kids to find.
The results
A tradition with a home online
South Creek now has one cheerful place for everything Christmas Eve, from the schedule and the route to letters, wishes, donations and volunteer sign-ups. It’s a project we’re especially proud of, because it’s our way of helping the neighborhood we call home.
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