My adventures as Santa Claus
Many years ago a friend of mine told me that at Christmas time he dressed up as Santa for his family. He even brought his suit to work and after work one evening put it on so I and others in the office could see how he looked. I still have a Polaroid picture of him tucked away. I thought it was pretty cool and that maybe some day I might like to try it. My chance came a few years later.
At the children's Mass at our church, Santa would always make an appearance at the end of the service. The youth minister was always Santa but one year he told the organizer that he no longer wanted to be Santa as he was afraid that now that his sons were older they might recognize him and not believe in Santa. The organizer, Susie, could not find anyone else to be Santa. Everyone was too shy. She came to me and asked me if I would do it. I said "Sure". At the time I worked for an Alarm Company and company policy forbid having a beard but the church's costume came with a pretty nice beard. I dressed for the event using some black boots I owned rather than the spats provided with the suit. My part of the service came at the end. I was to enter the back of the church with two baskets of religious ornaments for the children. I was to go forward and receive Communion then move to the nativity scene, kneel and say a prayer and then leave. While I did this Father would read a prepared statement from "Santa". When the time came I entered the back of church and waited for Father to nod that he was ready. As I stood there the children closest to me saw Santa and started whispering, "There's Santa." and the like. As I began to move forward the whispers, big-eyed stares and little pointing fingers spread through the church like ripples on a pond. By the time I was half way up the aisle (we have a rather large church) every child in the church was looking at me with the love only a child at Christmas can have. It was euphoric, a physical force unlike anything I had ever felt, hundreds of children looking at me, Santa, with love. I was immediately hooked and knew this was something I wanted to do more.
Eventually company policy changed and I was able to grow a real beard. I kept it fairly short most of the year but come fall I would let it grow out. I was down in Kansas City Mo, visiting my sisters when I was asked by a employee at the museum I was at if I ever played Santa. I responded yes and he got me in touch with an online group of professional and serious amateur Santas. Through them I became aware of and eventually joined Santa-America. Santa America is a national volunteer service organization with a very special mission. Over one-hundred Santas across America visit children and families in crisis. Santa Claus visits when a child or family needs him—twelve months a year—bringing love, hope and joy to special needs children and families. At that time one of the requirements for joining Santa-America was to be a trained hospice volunteer. A year earlier my father had died in hospice and the memories of his loving care there in the last few hours of his life moved me to return to that hospice facility, take training and become a volunteer. I then went on and joined Santa-America. Through them, the Knights of Columbus and the workings of the Holy Spirit I have had some very touching experiences. I'd like to share some with you.
Early in my Santa career, a neighbor and single mother of two small children, a girl eighteen months and a boy four, asked my wife for a ride to the UAW union hall. She had been told that they were giving away gifts for needy families. Shasta, the eighteen month old, spent all the time Mrs. Claus and her mom were talking looking at our tree and one ornament in particular. My wife took the family to the union hall where she was given clothing and winter coats for her children, food coupons for Christmas dinner but sadly, no toys. On Christmas Eve, after my appearance at the children's Mass, my family and I were discussing the poor family living only a half a block down the street from us. A family with that had no Christmas tree or toys for the two children. We decided something must be done. I did not yet have a Santa bag but I had a green army laundry bag. We had extra toys, donated to me by my sister's company where I had made a Santa appearance at company's family Christmas party. All of the left over toys not given to employee's children were sent home with Santa. Presents for Jacob and Shasta went into the bag. Toys and books and crayons and the extra things that Mrs. Claus always has on hand for children and finally the ornament that Shasta had so liked, it all went into the bag. Then, carefully lifting the bag onto my shoulder I walked down the street, Santa carrying his sack of toys, to the house of these children. I knocked on the door. The mother answered and was astonished to see Santa standing there. She called her children who had already gone to bed, "Kids, come see who is here!" I opened the bag and pulled out toys and books and all of the things that we had put in the bag, including the ornament. The children were delighted, the mother cried and I left them to enjoy their Christmas. I had forgotten this story. The family had moved away and I have done many other things as Santa. But when I started to write down my Santa experiences, my daughter suggested this story. She thinks it is the greatest thing I have ever done as Santa. And Mrs. Claus added this to the tale. Jacob still visits kids in this neighborhood. He is now a young teen but from time to time, he still talks about the night Santa came to their house.
I was once doing a Santa gig for the Knights of Columbus. I was to have breakfast, pass out presents that the Knights had purchased and wrapped and have my picture taken with about 240 kids. My 80 year old mother was supposed to show up during the event and see me working and see the children. My mother always had a love of children. She never showed up. Afterward I went to see her and find out if everything was Ok. I found her sick in bed. She had gotten something flu like the night before but did not want to call me for fear I would cancel Santa to care for her. Right before Christmas in 2007, I found my mother in bed partially paralyzed. She had suffered a massive stroke. Her condition was bad enough that after a couple of days in the hospital we took her to hospice. Now I had a dilemma. Should I continue with my Santa schedule or spend the time with my mother? Then I remembered the breakfast with Santa she had missed when she was sick and how she was afraid I would cancel to be with her and how she didn't want the children disappointed. I did my entire schedule that year including the hospice where I am a volunteer and my mother was a resident. My mother died in 2008 on July 3rd at 6:26 AM. The very same hospice staff members that are my colleagues, my friends and my mother’s friends were surrounding and comforting her. God bless them all.
During the Christmas season of 2008 I made Santa visits to two hospices, the pediatrics wing of the local hospital, an adult group home, my annual Breakfast with Santa for the Knights of Columbus and a few other families and charities. When I visit someone at hospice or the hospital, I always kneel so that I am face to face with them and not looking down at them. I like to hold their hand or lay my hand on their shoulder. I was visiting one of the last rooms at a hospice, I knelt down next to a woman not much older than me. I knew her time was short because she had reached the point where she could not get out of bed or even feed herself. As I grasped her hand in mine and gave her my best Santa smile she looked at me a bit quizzically and asked me why I was there. I answered I came to visit you, everyone likes a visit from Santa at Christmas time. She smiled at me and began to cry. I asked if she was in pain or needed anything and she told me, no, she was so happy I had come to visit her.
People ask me sometimes why I play Santa. They ask me if the pay is good. I tell them, a good Santa can make $15,000 in a season. Then I tell them but I don't take money, I'm only Santa for charities. Then I tell them a story. And finally I answer, "Yeah, the pay is great!"
God Bless you and yours.
At the children's Mass at our church, Santa would always make an appearance at the end of the service. The youth minister was always Santa but one year he told the organizer that he no longer wanted to be Santa as he was afraid that now that his sons were older they might recognize him and not believe in Santa. The organizer, Susie, could not find anyone else to be Santa. Everyone was too shy. She came to me and asked me if I would do it. I said "Sure". At the time I worked for an Alarm Company and company policy forbid having a beard but the church's costume came with a pretty nice beard. I dressed for the event using some black boots I owned rather than the spats provided with the suit. My part of the service came at the end. I was to enter the back of the church with two baskets of religious ornaments for the children. I was to go forward and receive Communion then move to the nativity scene, kneel and say a prayer and then leave. While I did this Father would read a prepared statement from "Santa". When the time came I entered the back of church and waited for Father to nod that he was ready. As I stood there the children closest to me saw Santa and started whispering, "There's Santa." and the like. As I began to move forward the whispers, big-eyed stares and little pointing fingers spread through the church like ripples on a pond. By the time I was half way up the aisle (we have a rather large church) every child in the church was looking at me with the love only a child at Christmas can have. It was euphoric, a physical force unlike anything I had ever felt, hundreds of children looking at me, Santa, with love. I was immediately hooked and knew this was something I wanted to do more.
Eventually company policy changed and I was able to grow a real beard. I kept it fairly short most of the year but come fall I would let it grow out. I was down in Kansas City Mo, visiting my sisters when I was asked by a employee at the museum I was at if I ever played Santa. I responded yes and he got me in touch with an online group of professional and serious amateur Santas. Through them I became aware of and eventually joined Santa-America. Santa America is a national volunteer service organization with a very special mission. Over one-hundred Santas across America visit children and families in crisis. Santa Claus visits when a child or family needs him—twelve months a year—bringing love, hope and joy to special needs children and families. At that time one of the requirements for joining Santa-America was to be a trained hospice volunteer. A year earlier my father had died in hospice and the memories of his loving care there in the last few hours of his life moved me to return to that hospice facility, take training and become a volunteer. I then went on and joined Santa-America. Through them, the Knights of Columbus and the workings of the Holy Spirit I have had some very touching experiences. I'd like to share some with you.
Early in my Santa career, a neighbor and single mother of two small children, a girl eighteen months and a boy four, asked my wife for a ride to the UAW union hall. She had been told that they were giving away gifts for needy families. Shasta, the eighteen month old, spent all the time Mrs. Claus and her mom were talking looking at our tree and one ornament in particular. My wife took the family to the union hall where she was given clothing and winter coats for her children, food coupons for Christmas dinner but sadly, no toys. On Christmas Eve, after my appearance at the children's Mass, my family and I were discussing the poor family living only a half a block down the street from us. A family with that had no Christmas tree or toys for the two children. We decided something must be done. I did not yet have a Santa bag but I had a green army laundry bag. We had extra toys, donated to me by my sister's company where I had made a Santa appearance at company's family Christmas party. All of the left over toys not given to employee's children were sent home with Santa. Presents for Jacob and Shasta went into the bag. Toys and books and crayons and the extra things that Mrs. Claus always has on hand for children and finally the ornament that Shasta had so liked, it all went into the bag. Then, carefully lifting the bag onto my shoulder I walked down the street, Santa carrying his sack of toys, to the house of these children. I knocked on the door. The mother answered and was astonished to see Santa standing there. She called her children who had already gone to bed, "Kids, come see who is here!" I opened the bag and pulled out toys and books and all of the things that we had put in the bag, including the ornament. The children were delighted, the mother cried and I left them to enjoy their Christmas. I had forgotten this story. The family had moved away and I have done many other things as Santa. But when I started to write down my Santa experiences, my daughter suggested this story. She thinks it is the greatest thing I have ever done as Santa. And Mrs. Claus added this to the tale. Jacob still visits kids in this neighborhood. He is now a young teen but from time to time, he still talks about the night Santa came to their house.
I was once doing a Santa gig for the Knights of Columbus. I was to have breakfast, pass out presents that the Knights had purchased and wrapped and have my picture taken with about 240 kids. My 80 year old mother was supposed to show up during the event and see me working and see the children. My mother always had a love of children. She never showed up. Afterward I went to see her and find out if everything was Ok. I found her sick in bed. She had gotten something flu like the night before but did not want to call me for fear I would cancel Santa to care for her. Right before Christmas in 2007, I found my mother in bed partially paralyzed. She had suffered a massive stroke. Her condition was bad enough that after a couple of days in the hospital we took her to hospice. Now I had a dilemma. Should I continue with my Santa schedule or spend the time with my mother? Then I remembered the breakfast with Santa she had missed when she was sick and how she was afraid I would cancel to be with her and how she didn't want the children disappointed. I did my entire schedule that year including the hospice where I am a volunteer and my mother was a resident. My mother died in 2008 on July 3rd at 6:26 AM. The very same hospice staff members that are my colleagues, my friends and my mother’s friends were surrounding and comforting her. God bless them all.During the Christmas season of 2008 I made Santa visits to two hospices, the pediatrics wing of the local hospital, an adult group home, my annual Breakfast with Santa for the Knights of Columbus and a few other families and charities. When I visit someone at hospice or the hospital, I always kneel so that I am face to face with them and not looking down at them. I like to hold their hand or lay my hand on their shoulder. I was visiting one of the last rooms at a hospice, I knelt down next to a woman not much older than me. I knew her time was short because she had reached the point where she could not get out of bed or even feed herself. As I grasped her hand in mine and gave her my best Santa smile she looked at me a bit quizzically and asked me why I was there. I answered I came to visit you, everyone likes a visit from Santa at Christmas time. She smiled at me and began to cry. I asked if she was in pain or needed anything and she told me, no, she was so happy I had come to visit her.
People ask me sometimes why I play Santa. They ask me if the pay is good. I tell them, a good Santa can make $15,000 in a season. Then I tell them but I don't take money, I'm only Santa for charities. Then I tell them a story. And finally I answer, "Yeah, the pay is great!"
God Bless you and yours.
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