I remember it like it was yesterday. The lead up to Christmas 2010 was like any other, except in one respect: our family's Santa Claus passed away a few months previously. All of the children and adults loved him. His name was Dennis, but everyone around town called him Denny. He had been our family's Santa since 1977 (close to forty years). When Denny passed away, the family rushed to find a replacement, although they couldn't find one.

My late mother and grandmother asked me to try it (after all, it would be fun). I said I would do it. I was fourteen years old and the last person you'd ever think would don a Santa suit. Of course, the first year, it was a used plush costume without any lining, cheap boot toppers, and a scruffy synthetic beard. Suffice it to say, the Santa community has come a long way, even with off-the-rack suits. Yet, when I put the suit on for the first time, it was magic. The adults didn't even know it was me. When I held the children in my lap, the job was love at first sight. I was hooked and I couldn't turn back. That was thirteen years ago now. This will be my fourteenth season in the suit, and it seems every year it gets bigger and better.

Of course, the more time you're given in the suit, the more you have to give back. Most of my appearances consist of small-town home visits, nursing home visits, adult day cares, church Christmas parties, and other events that are a real blessing to be a part of. All in all, for starting this vocation as a kid out in the middle of nowhere in rural PA, this has been a pretty cool ride and I'm grateful for all of it. So, I hope you'll join me on this journey as I attempt, in some small way, to use this blog of mine to revisit old memories, share stories, tell jokes, and, overall, just have a whole lot of good, old-fashioned fun sharing my experiences, thoughts, and memories of portraying the jolly old elf himself—Santa Claus!