As if this year hasn’t brought enough chaos and sadness, Santa passed away on Oct. 24. Yes, Santa. Maybe not the real Santa, but to us and many, many other people whose lives he touched, that is exactly who he was.
In fact, it was only recently that I found out that his real name was Jim Schrader, who was 64 when he died. But you see, he wasn’t Jim Schrader — he was Santa.
Interestingly enough, he also wasn’t the first Santa in his family. From the late 1950s until the late ’70s, Jim’s father, Ed, dressed up as Santa. Around 1978, Jim’s brother John carried the Santa torch until 1999, when he wanted to take a year off. It was then that Jim found himself in red suit, and it was almost as if once he put it on, he transformed from Jim to Santa. And he never looked back.
As his brother John will tell you, that is what set him apart from others playing Santa. He took on the role of actually being Santa. Over the years, he learned many of the names of the kids he visited, as well as the parents and grandparents. And one of his favorite parts of being Santa was hearing about how a kid was on the verge of becoming an unbeliever, but the visit with him allowed for one or two more magical years.
Wherever he went, Jim was Santa. Even when he wasn’t wearing the full suit, he was still constantly spreading the joy of Christmas. When he drove a truck for work, he rocked that Santa hat daily. If he and his wife were out to eat and a child was misbehaving, it was nothing for him to walk up to that kid, tap him on the shoulder, and give him the Santa look over the top of his glasses. And if kids were being good in a restaurant, he may just have a candy cane hidden up his sleeve to pass off.
It was common to catch him down in Florida sporting a Santa hat while fishing or even suiting up and taking his beloved Harley-Davidson motorcycle for a ride through town. One year, he even went on a mission trip to Haiti, where all the kids knew him as Santa. Wherever he went, no matter what time of year, he was Santa.
But, what he truly lived for was the hustle and bustle of the busy holiday months. As early as August, Santa started getting calls to schedule times for his visits. From in homes to clubs to company breakfasts — he did it all — anything he could fit in his schedule. The one thing he hated was turning people down.
And he just had a way with people — all people of all ages. With the kids, he always found a way to connect with each and every one of them. If a child was apprehensive, he found a gentle way to build their trust. Or sometimes, he found a silly way, which worked wonders. If you knew Santa, then you also knew that he had a couple ornery one-liners for the adults as well.
On a typical Christmas Eve, Santa would leave his home around 10 a.m. and not get home until 10 p.m. He was completely dedicated until the very last drop of Christmas was done for the year.
This year and the years to come will certainly be very different without the real Santa around. Sure, there will still be plenty of Santa’s helpers out there doing their thing (heck, maybe even one of the Schrader boys in the family will pick up the suit and carry on the tradition), but Santa Jim — I just don’t think anyone will ever compare.
As we approach this holiday season, my hope is that we can all be a little more like Santa Jim. Maybe that means leaning in to listen to those around us, like he did with every child. Maybe it looks like throwing on a Santa hat to make people smile. Maybe it is passing out candy canes or passing out love, or just simply making the time — like Santa did — for all those who need it.
Regardless what it looks like, this year, in memory of Santa Jim — the real Santa — may we all spread just a little more Christmas cheer than normal. God knows we need it now more than ever.
Rest in peace, Santa. You will be truly missed, but forever in our hearts.
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