Pompton Plains Santa, a.k.a. Karl Bauer, will host his second annual “Santa On Horseback” benefit for children at the North Jersey Equestrian Center (1 Carlson Place, Pompton Plains, NJ) on Monday, December 12 at 4 p.m. This year Bauer will invite the children, ages 4 and 5, from the Friendship Corner Day Care Center in Paterson, NJ to come meet Old Saint Nick and his steed and enjoy pony rides, presents and holiday fare. Bauer and his staff will transform the 66,000-square-foot riding center into a winter wonderland, complete with lights, life-size holiday displays, and an 8-foot poinsettia-decked Christmas tree. In addition to the festivities at the party, the children will be on hand when Santa arrives on his trusty steed to give out gifts and take a gallop for the kids. Bauer and his “elves” will have presents for the children to take home with them but the biggest “treat” of all will be when Santa invites them to ride his horse. “Kids and Christmas go hand in hand, not to mention kids and horses,” said Bauer, who, along with his wife, Deana, are recent adoptive parents. “I love children, and anything I can do to make their lives happier, I try to do. This is the perfect time of year to do something nice and have everyone benefit. Who doesn’t love the gift of seeing a youngster smile?”