durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, December 22, 2022 | | 26 Support Canadian Made SAVINGS!HUGEBLACK FRIDAY VALID THROUGH Thursday November 18 - Tuesday November 30- SE RV ING ONTARIO Ye rs TI 43 December 26th - December 31st 79 Taunton Rd. West, Oshawa 905-433-1052 www.sleepfactory.com Business Hours Mon-Wed 10am-6pm • Thurs-Friday 10am-8pm Saturday 10am-6pm • Sunday 11am-4pm 2017 WINNER TAUNTON RD. TH O R N TO N R D . SI M C O E ST . SO M ER VI LL E RD . 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Since launching five years ago, the Oshawa attraction has exploded in popularity, seeing demand for tickets go through the roof. As batches of tickets are released in July, August and September, they sell out in minutes. Santa's Cottage is the brainchild of Sally Ryba. She co-owns the business with ... well ... we're going to refer to him as Santa here so no magic is harmed in the making of this story. The idea started small when Ryba invited her neighbour's children over for a visit with Santa in her living room, which was all decked out for the holidays. She tears up remembering what happened next. A girl with serious health issues was brought for a visit -- the parents couldn't take her to a mall and needed a private option. "We could see something magical was happening. From then on, we've had a lot of sick kids. As well as a lot of kids with special needs who can't stand in a long line to see Santa," Ryba said. "There is a need and we didn't realize how big it was." Located in rural north Oshawa, Santa's Cottage offers private, 15-minute visits with Santa in a cosy cottage that looks like a scene from a Hallmark movie. The room is lit by a fireplace, candles and twinkling Christmas lights. Santa has an armchair where he reads to visitors from "The Night Before Christmas" or kids can join him at his toy workbench to help fix up a broken Batmobile. Pets are welcome to join in for photos -- Santa has posed with dogs, cats and even a trio of chickens. A portion of proceeds from every visit is donated to the Hospital for Sick Children. Visitors take their own photos, which Ryba says is a big draw because they can snap as many as they want over the 15-minute time frame and there are no photo packages to buy. Santa's Cottage opens for 53 days each season -- Ryba acknowledges that it's not enough to meet demand and knows many people are left frustrated when they are unable to book a spot. People often ask why they don't hire more Santas to allow for more visits. "We're not going commercial," Santa said. He has spent years perfecting his "ho ho ho" and his warm demeanour with kids and won't risk bringing in strangers who might get frustrated with a child who acts out, or undermine the magic in some way. Santa's Cottage also features an outdoor gallery filled with Instagram-worthy holiday photo ops, all handmade by Santa himself. While Santa visits are sold out for 2022, there are openings available to visit the gallery. There is also a Christmas market filled with handmade items such as ornaments and porch signs. This year, teddy bears are being sold to raise money for SickKids as well as plush kittens with a portion of proceeds going to the Durham Region Humane Society. New for 2022, kids can also visit with Santa after Christmas. "Jingle Mingle" evenings from Dec. 26 to 30 offer a chance to hang out with Santa in his off-duty uniform and hear about his Christmas Eve travels. Visit santascottage.ca for more information. Got an Oshawa story to share? Email reporter Jillian Follert at jfollert@durhamregion.com. HOW SANTA'S COTTAGE BECAME A CHRISTMAS SENSATION Zachary Follert-Hunt, 7, and his brother Charlie, 10, listened to Santa read a story at Santa's Cottage. Susie Kockerscheidt/Metroland JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com BUSINESS