Santa Tells His Stories

EDITOR’S NOTE: The intrepid staff at your favorite Hamilton County daily got in touch with Santa – and we’re happy to share the following from the big man! If you want to know more about this particular Santa, go to indianasanta.com, with our compliments!

I was reading a story about letters to Santa today and thought I would share with you some fun stuff that Santa experiences when he is in person with the kids.

While working at a Cabella’s in Noblesville a few years ago I had some interesting notes.

On one day, I had a 3 day old baby in my lap and an 81 year old lady who had never sat on Santa’s lap to get pictures. She had been walking around the store when I found her and asked her to get a picture with Santa.

One young man came up to Santa and asked for a Nintendo Switch, PS-4, IPhone 11, X Box 1 and numerous other electronics. I told him that my elves do not do good with electronics. Remember the Samsung phones that all started on fire? Those were my elves. Remember the IPhones that had such a problem? Those were my elves. Remember the X-Boxes that kept on breaking? Those were my elves. So we don’t do electronics anymore. Is there anything else? He said OK, how about a coloring book?

A young mom, in her mid-20’s, came to visit Santa with her 7 or 8 month old child who started screaming the minute she tried to hand him over to me. I suggested Mom sit in my chair with the child and I would stand nearby. She had a strange request. She had a string with letters tied to it that spelled out CHRISTMAS. She asked me to hold that in front of her for the picture. Because she was sitting, I held it over her head.  She said her husband had the rest of the string with the letters MERRY on it. I looked around for Dad but I didn’t see him. I said to her let’s find Dad and he can hold the rest of the sign. She said Dad was not here, he was in Afghanistan. We took the picture and as she got up I gave her and her child a hug and thanked them for their service.

On my first day this year I held a 6 week old and an 8 week old baby. The Mom of the 8 week old baby was so excited about getting the child’s picture with Santa that she was in tears. I suggested we take another picture with her, the baby and I. She was very happy but still in tears. I never did get the rest of the story but she loved it so much.

A Mom and Dad came up with 5 kids. They all wanted individual pictures so we did individual and I talked to each child individually. All of the kids, except for one, had face paint on like they had just gotten it done earlier. The one girl who did not have face paint on, probably 11 or 12 years old, came up for her turn to talk to Santa and we talked a bit since it was so slow. When I asked the young lady what she wanted for Christmas she pointed to the rest of her family and said “I got it today and my family is what I wanted!” It turns out that her and her sister, and her brother were all adopted today and the adoption was final! I talked to Mom and she said they have been in the process for 1,635 days but it was finalized today! WOW!

Three cute young girls came up to see Santa all dressed in the same dresses and wearing reindeer antlers. My Elf Jim started to introduce them to me but I told him no, I know them. Their names are Giggly, Wiggly and Jiggly! They are my new reindeer! Well, Mom and Dad and the three girls all loved it. I talked to them for a while because we had some time but then they went to play. They were there almost an hour and everytime I saw them I would call them by their new reindeer names. They loved it!

4 Older teens who wanted their pictures taken with their entire family and Santa. Mom and one of the teens came back to do a picture of Mama kissing Santa Claus! Funny Picture.

Two dog pictures today.  One with a small dog that sat on my lap and one with a large dog that I could have sat on him!

Family with two kids, Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa. Both Dad and Grandpa wore caps that read US Coast Guard – Retired. I invited them both up for a picture with Santa and thanked them for their service.

3 children came up with their Mom. Approximate ages, 3, 5 and 8. They all told Santa what they wanted and Santa gave them 2 candy canes each. Santa explained that he needed help spreading Love, Hope and Joy so Santa asked them that they take the second candy cane and give it to their best friend and tell them “Thanks for being my best friend”, and “Merry Christmas!” The 3 and 5 year old were fine with it but when it came to the 8 year old he said, very seriously, “Santa, I don’t have any friends.” I asked why and he said that his past friends don’t want to be friends with him so he is looking for new friends. I asked him if he wanted some of the past friends to be his friend and he said yes. When I asked him how many he told me three so I gave him 3 more candy canes and suggested that he tell these friends that he wanted to remain friends with them and to give them the candy cane and say Merry Christmas. He said he would do that and when I looked up at Mom she had tears rolling down her cheeks. It really seemed that this young man had been bullied and was having some serious problems with it. I told him that Santa would pray that he gets some good friends to give the candy canes to. He seemed a little better when he left.

Santa had 7 dogs today from small ones to very, very large ones. One scratched Santa’s lip.

Mom and Dad and three very pretty girls came up for pictures. The girls all got their pictures together and then Mom and Dad and the girls got a family picture together. When I talked to the girls and asked what they wanted for Christmas they all told me but then the older girl, about 8 years old, said she had a secret to tell me. I bent over and told her to whisper it in my ear and she asked me if I could help make her Mom happy. I had no idea what was going on but I told her that Santa will pray for her family and especially her Mom. She thanked me and then went to her Mom.

Grandma and three young girls came into the store and wanted to see Santa.  I talked to the two younger girls and then the older one who was about 14 years old.  I asked her what she wanted for Christmas and after considering the question she said, “Well, we need a bigger house”.   I told her that Santa probably couldn’t help with that so I asked her if there was anything else.  She told me that they needed food. That floored me because I had never had anyone ask for food!  For whatever reason this really got to me today.

A family of 4 kids came up and I asked them all what they wanted. The older girl, about 14, said she wanted world peace. I told her she could start it and gave her two candy canes. I then told her she could have one but to give the other one to her best friend and tell them thanks for being my best friend and Merry Christmas. I then told her if everyone did that maybe we could attain world peace. Her Mom overheard the conversation and thanked me for promoting that.

I had a very good encounter with a young girl, maybe 10 years old, who told me that she didn’t want anything for Christmas, she just wanted her brother and sister and her Mom to be happy and give them what they wanted. She said she did not need anything at all but her family deserved to be happy. She also told me that her Papa was never happy. I told her that she should give him one of the extra candy canes I gave her to give to him and for her to tell him that she loved him and that would make him happy. She started to tear up and I told her that I would say a prayer for her and her Papa.

When Santa and Mrs. Claus first visited Crawfordsville as a summer home a few years ago we were at Milligan Park with a photographer taking pictures of us outside in the fall colors. One cute 4 or 5 year old girl with long blonde hair came up and wanted to sit on Mrs. Claus’ lap because Santa was so big she was a little nervous. Santa and Mrs. Claus talked to her a little bit and when I asked what she wanted for Christmas she thought about it a little bit with her finger to her lips and then said “Well Santa, I really need a new shotgun!” Santa knew we were in Indiana then! LOL

This year Santa has already visited with over 1,000 children here in Montgomery County and the Indianapolis area. From the Lilly Boys and Girls club in Indianapolis to the Carnegie Museum here in Crawfordsville sharing the spirit of Christmas is the joy of my life.

One little girl came in to the photo studio with her Mom and Dad during Downtown Party Night and sat next to Santa talking with me quite a bit. When I asked her what she wanted for Christmas she told me about a few dolls and then she said “One last thing.” I asked her well what else would you want? With her Mom and Dad standing there just off camera she asked me “Can I get a new Dad?”  I looked at the parents and I don’t know what it was all about but they both laughed and took the little girl out of there very fast!

Sure, to the children that I see, Christmas seems to be about Santa and the presents that they get but I try to share with them the spirit of Christmas. One of my favorites is when I tell them that I want to tell them a secret. They snuggle up close with their ear near my mouth and I tell them this little secret. 

“When you wake up Christmas morning remember to give Mom and Dad a hug and a kiss and tell them that you love them. That is the best present that you can give them, your love.”

Another spirit of Christmas story that I use when I have the candy canes is to give them two candy canes and to tell them that one is for them and the other is for them to give it to their best friend and for them to say “Thanks for being my friend.”

Santa is looking forward to seeing you soon. Check out my website at Indianasanta.com