Doug Warren of L2 Marketing takes a photo of Santa at Plaza Tower in downtown Tyler.

While his elves are hard at work preparing for Christmas, Santa Claus made a stop Thursday morning to visit the children of Tyler.

“Tyler is a wonderful place,” Santa said. “It’s not as cold as what I’m used to, but it is a wonderful town.”

Coming down from the North Pole, St. Nick himself stopped in East Texas a couple times during the month of December to see the Plaza Tower tenants and their families, as well as children in the community.

The Plaza Tower is a high-rise building in downtown Tyler that is home to multiple businesses.

“It’s really important to us to let people know what we’re doing down here and that downtown is growing and it’s the place to come and be,” said Deanna Oldham, of People’s Petroleum Building. “There’s all sorts of events all December long, from Tyler’s open house and the scavenger hunt with Downtown Main Street, to the beautiful decorations on the square.”

In addition to fun activities downtown, many Plaza Tower tenants decorated their spaces to spread Christmas cheer.

“This is just another way that we try to invite Tyler to the downtown community,” Oldham said. “It’s wonderful seeing so many people come together.”

Michael Brady brought his two sons — Cain, 8, and Chapel, 5 — who were dressed in their red and black flannel pajamas and showing off the Hot Wheels they received from Santa.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing for whoever it was to put this together,” Brady said. “It’s very generous. The boys loved meeting Santa. The photographer took photos and I will get a digital copy.”

The boys liked visiting with Santa, but wanted to make sure he had time to get his job done, too.

“He needs to make sure he gets lots of rest because he has lots of presents to give out,” said Chapel, who asked Santa for a Spiderman web shooter and mask.

Cain asked for a suitcase to use on an upcoming trip to the Smoky Mountains.

Santa said one of the most common gift requests from children this year has been drones.

“But one of the more unique and wonderful requests is that there are a lot of children who have told me that all they want for Christmas is to be with their family,” Santa said. “Some of them have sick grandparents and ask for them to be better.”

Santa’s visit to the Plaza Tower is a tradition that started three years ago, according to Alyx Tutt, property manager.

“It’s a complimentary service to the people that visit,” she said. “Santa donates his time to take these pictures and they raise money for St. Paul’s Children’s Foundation every year.”

The children not only get a photo with Santa at no charge, but they also receive candy canes and a small toy.

When it comes to preparing for his long trip, Santa said he plans on getting lots of rest then checking with his elves to make sure everything is on track for Christmas Eve.

“It’s a fast, fast trip but it’s fun,” Santa said. “I see all kinds of all kinds of weather… sometimes it’s good weather and sometimes there are some blizzards but with my ol’ reliable sleigh and Rudolph guiding the way, it will be a good night.”