Heading into the Christmas season each year, a guy decked out – head to toe – in black, and talking with a deep, somewhat scary, synthesized voice dons a rather uncharacteristic red and white hat and touches down at Toy Traders to spread some holiday cheer for a few hours.
If you haven’t guessed already, it’s Darth Vader Santa, and he will once again be stopping in at the Langley toy store, off the bypass, this Sunday – from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Star Wars villain, escorted by stormtroopers sporting candy can blasters and the fully interactive R2-D2 (popular for his photo bombing antics), will be on hand to take pictures with fans for a donation to charity, explained store owner Matthew Purdy.
The charity, once again this year, will be the Langley Shrine Club.
Year after year, this pet friendly event is attended by 100s of people – children of all ages, as well as a few adults, who are excited to have their photos taken with Santa Vader and the 501st Legion, a group who dress up in Star Wars costumes.
This annual tradition started back in 2015, with some years raising $4,000 in the five- to six-hour run, Purdy said. He’s hoping to top that this year.
“Everyone at Toy Traders is a huge fan of both Star Wars and Christmas, so combining the two is a fantastic way to raise money for charity,” he said just ahead of Sunday’s event.