The holiday season is one that’s filled with traditions and that rings true for the community in West Bountiful. As of Dec. 7, the city will have started their end-of-year festivities with their Christmas on Onion Street celebration – a Santa Claus greeting event and parade held by the youth city council. 

“It’s really just an activity for everyone to enjoy,” said Drew Farley, mayor of West Bountiful Youth City Council. “I think with this amazing Christmas atmosphere around, it’s just really special.”

Occurring on the first Saturday of every December, each event starts with an opportunity for kids to meet Santa Claus at West Bountiful park. Tables are set up around the holiday figure with games, craft kits and hot chocolate. Following this, Santa and holiday characters parade around the city in a fire truck and other vehicles, waving to people as they pass by.

According to Debbie McKean, a former city council member and co-author of a new book about West Bountiful’s history, Christmas on Onion Street has occurred for over 40 years. Established by former City Recorder Beverly Haslam and the youth city council at the time, Santa first rode to Lakeside Golf Course. When a new city hall was built, the parade began stopping there, which added the Onion Street element to the celebration’s title.

Today, the event is held at the park due to its size and popularity. That said, each detail is still planned out during youth city council meetings. According to Farley, members split up into three committees – one for characters, one for games and one for both food and decorations.

"It's really remarkable to see them plan and come together and be able to pull off such a big activity for the community," said Melissa Morley, an advisor for the youth city council.

While staging the event, those on the council also factor feedback and previous experiences into their plans. For Christmas on Onion Street this year, Farley and other members worked to bring portable bathrooms to the park for guests. They also began serving more cider than hot chocolate after recognizing preferences from 2023’s event.

Since Christmas on Onion Street’s inception, members of the youth city council have dressed up as holiday figures like Frosty the Snowman, and during recent iterations, characters from the Disney film Frozen have been added as well – such as Elsa, Anna and Olaf. This year, those on the characters committee were able to buy new costumes. 

“Over the years, we’ve made improvements,” said Farley. “Each year, we understand what the event needs a little better and we plan for the next year’s.”

One of the longest running traditions in the community, Christmas on Onion Street was one of the few events to still happen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parking outside of West Bountiful Elementary School, Santa was seen waving to children as they drove by. According to McKean, “there’s no stopping Santa from visiting the children in West Bountiful.”

“The nice thing about West Bountiful is that it is a tight-knit, small community,” said Morley. “It shows how great our community is by the way these community events are supported, and it’s so great to see that the tradition has continued over the years.” λ