Santa ditched his reindeer and sleigh on Saturday, jumping aboard a horse-drawn wagon to deliver Christmas cheer to a dozen Powell families.

Jolly Old Saint Nick — joined by an elf, the Grinch and a few folks on horseback— rode with the Cowboys for Christmas, a local group that helps bring holiday goods to those who might otherwise go without.

Over the weekend, the group delivered Christmas trees, nonperishable food and toys to 31 families in Park and Big Horn counties.

“Overall, it was amazing,” said Jerry Hill of Clark, one of the volunteers who made deliveries on Saturday.

It was the fourth straight year that the Cowboys for Christmas — which started on a whim in 2019 — has undertaken the effort to brighten local holidays. They assisted about as many families as they did a year ago: 13 in Powell, 12 in Cody, two in Lovell, one in Byron, one in Basin, one in Deaver and one in Greybull.

“At first, it didn’t seem like there was gonna be that many [recipients],” Hill said. “And then all of a sudden, it was like, ‘Oh, wow.’”

While there were several new homes on the list, other stops were places the cowboys had visited before, which Hill sees as a sign their efforts are really helping the recipients. 

The deliveries are consistently met with sincere appreciation.

“... You guys made my mother and kiddos smile so big!” one recipient wrote on the Cowboys for Christmas Facebook page.

In addition to lifting the spirits of the recipients, the horses and wagon are a treat for passersby, too. As the cowboys made their way across Powell, people stopped to snap pictures and ran over with their children for a chance to see the horses and Santa; one family pulled up alongside the team near the fairgrounds to pet the horses, Hill said, with the mother explaining that her toddler wants to be a cowboy when he grows up.

The Cowboys for Christmas have added new wrinkles to their deliveries each year. This year, for example, featured not only a return of the Grinch (Caleb Norris), but several other holiday costumes; Hill sported a buffalo robe.

“It just keeps getting bigger and bigger every year,” said Mike Apanashk, who played the role of Santa. “That’s exciting.”

The operation is entirely reliant on donations and Hill is thankful for the continuing support, which has come from as far off as Texas.

“We don’t want to turn down anybody,” he said. “That’s the whole thing.”

In fact, on Monday, the group was preparing to deliver goods to a family in Clark who missed the initial nomination period.

“It continues, you know, [to] just try to give Christmas cheer,” Hill said. “That’s what it’s about.”

To learn more about the group or to donate, search for Cowboys for Christmas on Facebook or email cowboysforchristmaswy@gmail.com.