Mr. and Mrs. Claus make their way to an Alaska Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III, belonging to the 144th Airlift Squadron, 176th Wing, as they prepare to depart Yakutat, Alaska, after completing Operation Santa Claus, Dec. 18, 2024. Started in 1956, Operation Santa Claus is an annual AKNG and Salvation Army partnered community outreach program that spreads holiday cheer to rural Alaskan communities. Every Christmas, numerous civilian and miliary volunteers work to provide backpacks filled with toys and books to children that live in these remote Alaskan communities. (Alaska National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)