Skydiving Santa sticks the landing at Huntington Beach

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Dressed as Santa Claus, Cliff Ryder, from Team Ill Vision, skydives onto the beach in front of Pacific City in Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

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Santa Claus parachutes into Huntington Beach. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

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Ayla Bickel from Huntington Beach, reacts to meeting Santa Claus near Pacific City on Saturday. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

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Santa Claus rides a bike to to Pacific City. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

By Daily Pilot staff

Nov. 19, 2016 6:19 PM PT

There aren’t a lot of reindeer in California, so Santa Claus changed his mode of transportation Saturday to something more typical of the Golden State.

The jolly one coasted onto the beach in front of the Pacific City shopping center in Huntington Beach to complete a skydiving mission and help mark the beginning of the holiday season.

Afterward, the soaring Santa posed for photos with onlookers.