A tradition that started in the 1970s when the Warwick Beacon offices were located on Meadow Street in Apponaug continues this year when Santa arrives for a photo shoot this Saturday at the Pilgrim Senior Center. The photo session starts at 9:30 a.m. and will run to 11:30 a.m.

The newspaper initiated the photo session as a way for children to meet with Santa, share their wishes and to have their photographs appear in the pre-Christmas edition. Over the years, Santa has moved around, sometimes stopping at the Beacon offices, to the Ben Franklin Store when it was in the Gateway Plaza and on to the Buttonwoods Community Center.

For the first time last year, the Beacon teamed up with the Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce to add breakfast to the event and relocate to the Pilgrim Senior Center. Breakfast with Santa starts at 8:30 a.m. and runs until 10. Breakfast tickets are $8 but children under 2 eat free. For planning purposes, the chamber requests reservations, which can be made by calling 732-1100 or visiting the chamber website at centralrichamber.com.

The photo session is free and if you don’t want to watch Santa eat eggs, that’s fine. Come at 9:30 and bring the kids and the grandkids. Photos will appear in the Dec. 22 edition of the paper.

With such a tradition, it’s no wonder that some of the first kids in the 70s are back with children of their own and even a few grandchildren.