Today, however, he substituted his sleigh for a fire truck, and instead of elves, he was aided by firefighters and paramedics. The mission: bring Christmas to children that otherwise wouldn’t have one. This was mission of the 12th Annual Toy Parade put on by Local 2 of the Chicago Firefighters Union.

Chicago firefighters from Local 2 load donations onto a truck during their 12th annual toy parade.

“We started in 1999 and in our first year we had hopes and expectations of helping 500 children and we exceeded expectations and helped 1,000,” Tim O’Brien, director of public relations for Local 2 said. “We have increased every single year.”

O’Brien has been a firefighter in Chicago for 19 years and came up with the idea; however, he says no one man can do this. According to O’Brien, approximately 4,000 children, from newborns to age 16 will be helped this year.

“The difficult economy has stagnated our growth in the past years but we continue to grow,” he said.

This year the parade included 450 bikes, 600 toys and 200 gift baskets for girls, which included perfumes and shampoos. Around 60 wagons were also collected.

“Our goal was to show the citizens of Chicago how appreciative we are for the jobs we have and to give something back to the community,” O’Brien said. “While firefighters and paramedics have difficult jobs, one of the things we see first hand is poverty. A lot of low-income people are people who need our help the most.”

As the parade passed through Bridgeport it had to stop so firefighters could collect donations from the people. An entire fire truck was loaded with toys, many times forcing the riders to catch items as they began to slipping off the truck.

“The people of Bridgeport are amazing,” O’Brien said as he climbed back abroad the truck. “It’s always the people with the least amount of money that give the most.”

The parade continued along its route until its final destination at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, where it was met by representatives from Catholic Charities, who have partnered with the toy parade.

The toy parade is a part of Catholic Charities’ initiative to bring Christmas to some 21,000 children.

“I am speechless by the generosity of all the firemen and their families,” Anne Bergin, director of board relations for Catholic Charities said. “We are so blessed.”

The generosity of the firemen, paramedics and families for Local 2 doesn’t stop there. They also work with Toys for Troops, especially the 404th infantry brigade and also Housing Opportunities for Women.

“The support of the Chicago Fire Fighter’s Union is absolutely vital to the families we are serving,” Jen Patterson, director of development and communications for Housing Opportunities for Women said.  “These gifts are likely to go to children who would not have a christmas.”

Some 150 toys were donated to the shelter, who according to Patterson, support about 1,400 individuals a year.

“The annual Chicago Firefighters and Paramedics Toy Parade is an amazing example of how people of good faith respond generously to the call of an idea as simple as providing Christmas gifts to needy children,” said Monsignor Michael M. Boland, president of Catholic Charities.

The parade could not have been done without all the volunteers who gave their time to help load and unload all the toys. There were some 125 volunteers involved.

“We’re grateful to the men and women of the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 who make extraordinary sacrifices for all of us every day that they report for work,” Boland added. “They’re to be commended for their dedication to the communities they serve and for their generosity to the poor whose families are struggling to make ends meet in these challenging times.”

“I would imagine more people come into the area to watch the game,” said Donna Sukacz of the South Loop Chamber of Commerce. “When the team isn’t playing, those people aren’t coming.”

Schaller’s Pump is one of many pubs and bars that suffers when the baseball season, specifically the Sox, are not in season. The family-run pub located about a mile from U.S. Cellular Field has been around since 1881 and relies heavily on baseball to make business.

Manager Kim Schaller has worked at the pub since the ’70s and is the fourth generation of Schallers to do so. She estimates about 35 percent of the pub’s business is during the baseball season, and now, with baseball season over, it’s all about survival.

“We have our seasonal people and regulars,” Schaller said. “The majority of the people say their goodbyes and ‘see you next year’ after the last game of the season.”

In order to combat this, Schaller’s Pump takes steps to make sure people still know they are around and open for business.

The pub, which is located at 3714 S. Halsted St., takes out ads in local newspapers and also hosts different events, such as quiz night.

“At quiz night, there are groups of people who pay a dollar to get in and we ask 20 questions,” Schaller said. “Whoever answers the most questions gets the money.”

Shinnick’s Pub at 3758 S. Union Ave. experiences the same post-baseball drop-off in revenue. The family-run establishment has been in business since 1938.

Manager Celine Shinnick, a fourth-generation Shinnick, estimates that 40 percent of their business comes during baseball season. However, unlike Schaller’s Pump, Shinnick’s Pub does not do any advertising.

“It’s all about being a neighborhood pub,” Shinnick said. “Most of the people who come here are from the neighborhood and we have people come out for the Bears games.”

Shinnick’s and Schaller’s Pump also rely on family to help get their business through the winter.

“The family aspect helps us out a lot because generations of families come here,” Schaller said. “Now a fifth generation of family is starting to come here and they bring their friends, so family is huge. We have customers whose grandparents came to this pub.”

Shinnick’s also keeps the family spirit alive.

“We are in the third generation of owners now, and now some of the nieces and nephews are the fourth generation, and their friends are coming so it keeps going down the line,” Shinnick said.

A lack of business can also be felt on the North Side. The Full Shilling, which sits just down the street from Wrigley Field at 3724 N. Clark St., echos this trend. An estimated 50 percent of business is made during baseball season, according to manager Anthony Smith.

“We try to keep the specials priced right and sponsor volleyball teams,” Smith said. “We also hope that the Bears win because it seems like we’re busier when they win.”

All three pubs will struggle to survive the winter and when spring training comes around, they’ll be ready — because as America’s game goes, so do they.