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Santa Claus brings Christmas cheer to Boquillas

The tradition was started by a Park Ranger in 2001.

BOQUILLAS DEL CARMEN, Coahuila — If you’ve been watching the news, you would believe that there is chaos along the entire Texas-Mexican border, with hordes of people seeking to enter the US.

But Thursday morning, a different type of caravan left Fort Stockton, heading south.

"Today we're taking all the Christmas gifts that the community, people on Facebook, myself, that we have bought for the last year, we're taking them down and we're going to give gifts to 106 kids in Boquillas," said Collette Barragan, the event organizer.

The group departed Fort Stockton then made the 146 mile-drive, passing through Marathon and on into Big Bend National Park

They drove past the majestic Chisos Mountains until they arrived at the US Customs station, built in the Rio Grande after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Once there, they carried the bags of toys down the river bank, to a waiting boat on the Rio Grande.

After Santa, played by Tony Drewry of Terlingua, got across, they went up to Boquillas for a tradition that began in 2001 by Marcos Paredes, a former Park Ranger.

"This Christmas thing here started back when they closed the border crossing. that was a horrific blow to the community here when they shut that down. And it really just started as a way to show folk over here that they weren't completely forgotten that some of us still remembered that they were over here," Paredes said.

"I raised some money for gifts and hams and turkeys, back then I brought every family a ham and or turkey and presents for all the kids," said Paredes.

Santa and Collette then handed out a wrapped gift to every child in the village, making certain no one was left out.

No matter what your nationality or belief, this is still the message of Christmas on display.

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