CALAIS – Santa was there along with Mrs. Santa.

Several of Santa’s elves also were on hand.

But the frolicking reindeer usually led by Rudolph and his shiny, bright nose did not make it to this year’s annual Christmas Parade.

On Friday, with temperatures hovering around 26 degrees F, youngsters jumped up and down or huddled close to their parents to stay warm while parade participants lined up in the parking lot at Johnson’s True Value Hardware Store on North Street.

Mrs. Claus was at the parade start site waiting for Santa. She said it had taken them three days to get to Calais from the North Pole.

“I took a detour through the Mediterranean,” she said with a chuckle. “Well, they have kids in the Mediterranean as well.”

The tall, lanky lady with the curly white hair said the next few weeks would be busy for her and Santa. On Christmas Eve, she said, she plans to pack Santa a lunch.

“It is going to be a long night for him,” she said. She also plans to have hot chocolate waiting for her jolly partner when he returns to the North Pole.

Santa arrived at the parking lot shortly before 6 p.m. When it was decided that the reindeer were a no-show, he climbed on top of the Calais Fire Department’s hook-and-ladder truck, and the parade got under way.

Several reindeer lookalikes stepped in to fill the void. Siddy Cole of the Calais Lioness Club, one of the seasonal celebration’s sponsors, was there as a reindeer, although she wasn’t sure which one.

“I’m really a reindeer tonight incognito. You know all the reindeer are all females, even though they have male names,” she said. “Because us women are always pulling the men around.”

A miniature horse named Foxy Tequila Princess was smartly dressed in reindeer antlers. “You’ve got to wear as many hats as possible in Washington County, said owner Andrea Barstow of Perry.

But Calais Rotary President Charlie McAlpin seemed to have the best answer. He said all anyone had to do was look around, because there were all kinds of stealth reindeer in the city. “They don’t show up on radar; they are invisible,” he said with a laugh.

At 6 p.m. the parade pulled out of the parking lot led by two Calais Police Department cars with their blue lights blinking and sirens blaring. Calais businesswoman Marilyn Bernardini, this year’s grand marshal, followed. The floats with singing Santas and children came next.

After the parade, the fun shifted to the downtown Triangle Park, where youngsters lined up to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. While youngsters waited for Santa, they munched on chocolate chip cookies dipped in chocolate and drank hot cocoa.