The Real Santa of Siskiyou: Where Christmas Comes from the Heart

Holiday Santas in Los Angeles get paid $150 per hour to work during the holidays. But this is about the real McCoy Santa Claus here in Siskiyou County:

Starting in November, this Santa Claus gets very busy. His wife, Mrs. Claus, sews all his (and her) outfits. At the end of November, his regular job gives him time off for December so he can devote all his time to his passion: celebrating the holiday spirit and putting smiles on people’s faces. Not wanting to miss any holiday event, he sometimes goes to two events a day during the holiday season. Last December, he showed up and supported 33 different events. His gifts, donations, gas for travel, and food he gives out to needy families all come out of his own pocket.

Some of the events Ol’ Saint Nick covers include four schools in Corning where the enrollment is 1,500 children from Kindergarten to 3rd grade. There are three Special Olympics “Out and About” programs for adults with mental disabilities that Santa always shows up for. He makes sure to head over to Red Bluff for the child welfare programs that he never misses. Santa also goes to the Redding Veterans Home where he passes out gifts and donates money for the free haircut programs. He is in the Veterans’ Day Parade and makes sure that the Adopt a Veteran Giving Tree is always stocked.

In McCloud, he shows up at the Elementary School each year, sometimes with the Grinch in tow, to hand out candy canes, crayons, coloring books, and $25 gift cards to Barnes and Noble. He occasionally gives a lump of coal with a note to kids who ask for it or deserve it, which he has a knack for determining correctly. He also joins the Squaw Valley Horse Club in McCloud to help judge the best-decorated house in town for their annual Christmas house decorating contest. This year, he invited 8-year-old Tillie Mattson to join him as he was driven along the streets of McCloud in the fire truck and let her pick out the house for the ‘Santa’s Choice Award’ because he was touched when he saw Tillie hold open a door for an older couple.

And he is always there for the McCloud Fire Department to make an appearance at their annual Christmas dinner. Santa also makes time to head over to Shasta Lake City for their Christmas tree lighting. He even fits in time to get over to Dunsmuir to help the thrift store called Unexpected Treasures on Main Street support the locals.

Unlike the Santas in Los Angeles, this Siskiyou County Santa says, “I believe Christmas should be free. You shouldn’t have to pay to take a picture with me. If people ask if I take donations, I tell them to donate to their favorite local charity. It is so easy to make someone’s day. In a couple of hours, I can change the attitude in a room and make people happy. It is amazing how good you can make people feel. This has grown into making me think of Christmas year-round.”