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Highlands Today

Santa Impersonators We Have Known

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Lyn and Bill Roche

Published: December 14, 2007

Somehow, we got talking about Santa impersonators we've known in our lifetime. Maybe that's part of aging –– reminiscing. Or, maybe it's simply because we came across two old pictures.

One is of Lyn at age three taken with someone posing as Santa at Marshall Field's department store in Chicago. That Santa impersonator was really classy and most likely his long white beard was natural. Lyn can even remember the wool coat and matching hat she wore.

The photographer caught Santa and Lyn close-up. They were engaged in deep conversation. Well, Santa was talking to Lyn.

She says she doesn't recall what he said – although, she apparently wasn't buying it. By the look on her face she was saying to herself, "I don't believe a word of this. Who is this guy anyway?"

She knew Santa lived at the North Pole and was far too busy making toys. He couldn't take time off before Christmas Eve. Nice as he was, the man talking to her must have been an imposter and she wasn't falling for his impersonation.

Besides, she was hungry for lunch by Field's gigantic Christmas tree with Grandmother. It was the beginning of a tradition that outlived and outweighed having her picture taken with Santa look-alikes.

The other photo captured young William at a party with other children whose parents worked with his father. He was four years old. We can't figure out why he wore shorts in New York in December.
However, it probably had something to do with how long ago that was. Trousers were for the older guys.

The picture shows Bill accepting an early gift from Santa. He says he knew it was his Uncle Frank in disguise. The real Santa would be coming down his chimney on Christmas Eve. He took the gift from his uncle anyway and tried to remember to call him Santa in front of the other kids.

We encountered many other Santa imitators. One, Lyn remembers, came to her grandparents' home in a horse drawn sleigh one wintry evening. She could tell by his voice it was her grandfather's friend, Chuck Chrysler, but she didn't let on. It was too much fun petting the horse and getting to ride in the sleigh.

A 2007 Santa look-alike visited our grandchildren's daycare. All the mommies and daddies came with their camcorders and digital cameras.

We know (and the kids have certainly figured out) the real Santa can't possibly leave the North Pole yet. He's still there – working. If you don't believe us, just check the North Pole Web site at www.The-North-Pole.Com.

You can email the real Santa and get an email back from him. There isn't time to snail mail him and get an answer mailed to your house. You can do that next year.

The site is a great place for kids of all ages. There are Christmas games and a North Pole quiz. There's a sing-a-long to a huge list of holiday songs. Music plays and the words appear on the screen.

"Santa's Crafts and Recipes" provide activities for visiting grandchildren and kids home from school. One can learn the ways 30 different countries celebrate by clicking on "Christmas Around The World."
And, "Twas The Night Before Christmas" can be read in its entirety. Surely, it's about the real Santa. Isn't it?

Lyn and Bill live in Highlands Ridge. Visit their Web sites at www.thecaregiverscaregiver.com, www.boomersandbeyondthecolumn.com and www.journeybookstore.com
©2007 Journey Publications

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