Here comes Santa Claus, on a Harley Davidson

Fitzgeralds is collecting donations for foster children for its ninth annual Santa Ride on Dec. 24.

The Huntington Beach Irish-style pub is taking donations of new, unwrapped toys and gifts to be delivered by motorcyclists dressed as Santa Claus to the Orangewood Children’s Home.

The home is part of the Orangewood Children’s Foundation, an Orange County shelter for abused or neglected children that assists more than 3,000 kids a year.

The tradition started with a group of guys riding around dressed as Santa for “kicks,” said Fitzgeralds owner Greg Coleman. The group came to Coleman wanting to get involved with a charity, and the event has grown bigger every year since, Coleman said.

Orangewood was chosen for personal reasons, Coleman said.

“I have people close to me that have gone through the system at Orangewood,” he said.

Fitzgeralds is offering a free breakfast for anyone who brings a present. The shelter needs personal and household items, toys and baby care items. The shelter’s largest need is for gift cards, and it is asking for small donations of $10 to $50. For a full list of items the shelter needs, go to www.orangewoodfoundation.org.

“They are just regular old kids that are not in there for their own fault,” he said.

Gifts can be dropped off at Starbucks at 18922 Beach Blvd., Independence Bank at 18101 Magnolia St. in Fountain Valley and C.O.R.E. Physical Therapy at 10162 Adams Ave.

Breakfast is from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. Dec. 24 at Fitzgeralds at 19171 Magnolia St. The Santa Ride will leave at 8:45 a.m., taking Magnolia to the 22 Freeway and arriving at Orangewood between 9:30 and 10 a.m.

The riders will then go to Newport Beach, taking the Balboa Ferry across at 10:30 a.m. and heading over to Mutt Lynch’s around 11 a.m. The Santa brigade will finish by riding up and down Main Street at noon before returning to Fitzgeralds at 12:30 p.m.