PROVO, Utah (AP) — Hoping to share some Christmas cheer with students on their way to and from school, a Utah bus driver decorates his yellow vehicle and dons a Santa Claus outfit each holiday season.

Don Fitch was dressed in the red suit and the bushy white beard as he transported students on his Alpine School District bus on Tuesday.

"It makes me feel good to see the Christmas spirit spread a little," Fitch told the Daily Herald of Provo.

Topped with Rudolph's red nose and decked with the decor and tunes of the season, bus 834 took kindergarten students to schools in Pleasant Grove, Orem and American Fork. This has been an annual tradition for Fitch, who began driving for the district four years ago.

"I just like having fun with it," Fitch said. "I'm the first face they see in the morning and the last face they see at night. I can either make or break it for them."

Related:

Santa takes a break to drive for the Jordan School District

For many Utah students, Friday was the last day of classes before the Christmas break. That alone is enough to make many of them smile. But for some kids riding a Jordan School District bus, that smile got even bigger when they saw their bus driver.

For the children who don't believe in Santa, Fitch said the jolly old man represents the qualities that children can take to heart.

"Santa may not be a real person, but he's the spirit that lives inside of us that makes us kinder, more gentle, and in that aspect, Santa is real," Fitch said.

Fitch said he plans to continue this tradition.

___

Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldextra.com

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Related topics