Yana and Kevin Peretyatko and their children Alex and Juliana hadn’t planned on meeting Santa Claus during their afternoon outing in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

“We came here for the Christmas store, and then we saw the village,” said Yana Peretyatko.

“It was just so cute — we wanted to walk around and enjoy the shops and coffee. And then, Santa surprised us. It was great.”

The OLiV Tasting Room brought Santa to Queen Street on Saturday for its third annual free Christmas photo day.

From 1 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 8, families, friends, and even pets gathered outside the shop to create festive memories with Santa.

“We’ve been taking a lot of puppy pictures,” said Brooke Bowslaugh, sales associate at OLiV. “We had a golden doodle here with a Frosty the Snowman sweater.”

Inside the tasting room, customers could take advantage of the weekly feature — espresso balsamic vinegar — at 50 per cent off, along with discounted gift packs.

Bowslaugh said the tradition began three years ago to boost holiday spirit and attract attention to the store, adding how it has effectively drawn more visitors to the weekly feature while reminding them of their selection of oils, vinegars and holiday gift packs.

“It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “We really enjoy it.”

The day also offered candy canes and an elf — who looked a lot like Bowslaugh — to help take photos, making it easy for everyone to capture the moment with their own devices.

Bowslaugh said the turnout reflected the strength of community support for OLiV.

“The community really enjoys it.
We’ve had people who have been coming here to see Santa Claus since we first started,” she said.

It’s clear Santa’s visits have become a cause, or “claus,” for celebration.