(WSB photos)

They were making a list and checking it twice as honorary Santa helpers very early this morning – the Rotary Club of West Seattle and hundreds of volunteers, teaming up for the Rotary’s annual Children’s Shopping Spree.

It meant a very, very early start to the day for all involved, but smiles prevailed – here’s West Seattle Rotary president Dave Nichols:

The Rotarians and volunteers converge on Sears-Southcenter (the nearest one since the SODO closure five years ago) to await the arrival of kids from local schools chosen as this year’s recipients:

This year, five schools had students participating – Gatewood, Lafayette, Roxhill, and West Seattle Elementaries, and Pathfinder K-8.

The kids were accompanied by grownups to go shop for practical items like shoes.

But there’s always some fun too, and food:

This is one of the biggest projects every year for the West Seattle Rotary, which has been sponsoring the Children’s Shopping Spree for almost half a century!