HAMLET – As most of the kids in Richmond County can tell you, Santa has been often sighted in the area of late. While that “Captain Obvious fact” is not, in and of itself, much to write home about, we seldom take time to consider just how arduous a schedule Santa must observe this time of year.
Christmas parades and personal appearances command an inordinate amount of time for the “Jolly Old Elf,” but, being true to the spirit of the holiday period, Santa Clause does what he can to accommodate as many of the invitations as he can fit into his already tight itinerary.
But, there are still times when even the magic of St. Nick cannot suffice, so ….. here’s the secret: Santa knows people!
Yes, Santa Clause “knows a guy” (actually, lots of guys) who agree to help him out during the hectic Christmas season.
In fact, one of Santa’s intimate buddies is Jim McDonald of Hamlet. At age 54, Jim says that he was selected and trained for Santa Service while in the military.
“Yeah, I’ve known Santa for quite a while; I would guess about 30 years or so,” says McDonald. “We first met when I was stationed in Germany with the Air Force and he needed someone to visit an orphanage near the base.
“I was the only one close enough to his size to wear one of his suits properly, so… I was drafted into the Santa Secret Substitute Service network,” he continued.
And once you’fe admitted as a member of the SSSS, there is no easy way out. Santa evidently puts a lot of time into the selection process, and then ensures that his network assistants are well-trained, so he prefers that they stay “in service” as long as possible.
And Santa Clause is not one that you want to upset, so, once inducted, you are a member of the “Santa Family” for life.
“He (Santa) makes sure that we are properly trained and know what to do before he lets us go out on our own, but it’s not that hard,” stated McDonald. “We call ourselves ‘Santa Subs’ for lack of a better term, and we learn how important it is for all of us to just love and care for everybody, regardless.
“If there was one single lesson that Santa would want us all to know, that would be it,” he added. “We just need to take the time to help people, give a little, and look for ways to make life better for others.”
For McDonald, that aspect of the Santa Clause Creed seemingly comes naturally.
“I just love kids and like making them happy,” McDonald noted. “So it was a natural thing for me to put on the suit and help Santa as best I could.”
And help him he has.
“I’ve put on the suit 60 to 70 times, often two or three times a day, but I’m happy to do it,” McDonald expressed. “Otherwise, since Santa can’t be everywhere all of the time, some kids might not get to put in their Christmas requests, and that just wouldn’t be Christmas.”
So, next time you start to get frustrated over the stress of your Christmas shopping, traffic or costs of gifts, just take a moment to relax and think about what Santa (and his Secret Substitutes such as McDonald) want us to remember about the true spirit of Christmas: take the time to help someone – you’ll feel better about yourself if you do.
