While much of the Northern Hemisphere is clinging to their warm outfits and snuggling by the fireplace, several folks in Florida headed out to the surf in Santa Claus suits to have some fun and raise funds for a good cause.

Watch Santa Clauses hitting the surf in droves at Crescent Beach in Cocoa Beach, Florida

COCOA BEACH, Florida – A tradition that started just two years ago, with George Tosset, his son and wife, has now evolved into a highly entertaining happening down at Crescent Beach. This year’s gathering had nearly 300 spectators on hand and about 82 surfers donning red suits and heading out to the waves. Some rode their stand up paddle boards, others their longboards, and some even ventured on shorter boards despite of their relatively cumbersome outfits. The effort aimed at breaking the World Record for “most Santas surfing at the same time” while also raising funds for the Devereux Florida Viera campus. (Get latest sup news on Facebook.)

“The Viera Campus program provides high quality behavioral health services for children and adolescents in a secure, safe residential facility,” as stated on the school’s website. They “specialize in services for children and adolescents with behavioral disorders, as well as those with low cognitive functioning due to neurological, biological and emotional traumas.”

“Reef O’Hara of Cocoa Beach, a 12-year-old student at Roosevelt Elementary School who says he has surfed for 11 years, loves the event because it keeps the meaning of the season, as well as the joy of surfing, in mind,” according to Florida Today, the local publication that broke the story. “I’m here because I love to surf and because most of these people are like family to me. This really makes Christmas feel like Christmas: spending time at the beach with family, doing family stuff. Giving. To me, this really is a family thing, and that’s what Christmas is about,” he said. (Learn more about the Viera Campus.)

Follow Supconnect on Facebook |   Twitter | Youtube & Watch SUP TV Live