Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
For 25 years, Ridge Animal Clinic has been hosting pet photos with Santa as a special service to their clients. For many of those years, Roland "Rolly" Janota played "the perfect Santa" according to Dr. Kerri Katsalis, owner of the clinic and organizer of each year's photo shoot.
Rolly and his wife Pinky established Settler's Pond Animal Shelter ( settlerspondshelter.com ) in 1998 on their family farm. In the process of caring for a variety of animals they got to know Dr. Kerri and the team at Ridge Animal Clinic ( ridgeanimalclinic.com ). Sadly, Rolly passed away in 2024.
The Lansing Journal captured footage of Rolly's 2022 stint as Santa, and then-managing editor Josh Bootsma put together a charming video of the occasion. We're re-publishing it here in memory of Rolly Janota and in celebration of holiday joy.
Make sure you receive all the local news The Lansing Journal publishes, not just the videos! Subscribe to The Lansing Journal's Daily News email: thelansingjournal.org/subscribe-from-youtube
=========
The questionable politics of Thornton Township Supervisors Tiffany Henyard and now Napoleon Harris brought new viewers and subscribers to our channel, and we appreciate their interest in our local politics. But most of the news that happens in Lansing and other parts of Thornton Township is much less dramatic but just as important. The Lansing Journal serves a diverse community and offers a diverse range of news — stories that are often overlooked by larger media. If you are interested in what local news looks like, subscribe to The Lansing Journal:
• Our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
• Our Daily News email: thelansingjournal.org/subscribe-from-youtube
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom, and we depend on support from our viewers and readers in order to provide the journalism our community deserves. Visit the Donate page on our website to make a tax-deductible donation: thelansingjournal.org/donate
Every dollar goes directly into the journalism and helps support this local newspaper as we serve our community.
MISSION
The Lansing Journal is the only newspaper in Lansing, Illinois. Our mission is Building Community, and we fulfill that mission by keeping our diverse community informed and connected through local independent news that is freely accessible.
Subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
For 25 years, Ridge Animal Clinic has been hosting pet photos with Santa as a special service to their clients. For many of those years, Roland "Rolly" Janota played "the perfect Santa" according to Dr. Kerri Katsalis, owner of the clinic and organizer of each year's photo shoot.
Rolly and his wife Pinky established Settler's Pond Animal Shelter ( settlerspondshelter.com ) in 1998 on their family farm. In the process of caring for a variety of animals they got to know Dr. Kerri and the team at Ridge Animal Clinic ( ridgeanimalclinic.com ). Sadly, Rolly passed away in 2024.
The Lansing Journal captured footage of Rolly's 2022 stint as Santa, and then-managing editor Josh Bootsma put together a charming video of the occasion. We're re-publishing it here in memory of Rolly Janota and in celebration of holiday joy.
Make sure you receive all the local news The Lansing Journal publishes, not just the videos! Subscribe to The Lansing Journal's Daily News email: thelansingjournal.org/subscribe-from-youtube
=========
The questionable politics of Thornton Township Supervisors Tiffany Henyard and now Napoleon Harris brought new viewers and subscribers to our channel, and we appreciate their interest in our local politics. But most of the news that happens in Lansing and other parts of Thornton Township is much less dramatic but just as important. The Lansing Journal serves a diverse community and offers a diverse range of news — stories that are often overlooked by larger media. If you are interested in what local news looks like, subscribe to The Lansing Journal:
• Our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
• Our Daily News email: thelansingjournal.org/subscribe-from-youtube
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom, and we depend on support from our viewers and readers in order to provide the journalism our community deserves. Visit the Donate page on our website to make a tax-deductible donation: thelansingjournal.org/donate
Every dollar goes directly into the journalism and helps support this local newspaper as we serve our community.
MISSION
The Lansing Journal is the only newspaper in Lansing, Illinois. Our mission is Building Community, and we fulfill that mission by keeping our diverse community informed and connected through local independent news that is freely accessible.
Subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
