True Christmas Magic: Tea’s Santa Claus spreads joy, stories, and tradition

The Tea Santa Claus is spreading holiday joy and will be present this Saturday at the American Legion for Breakfast with Santa.

Back in 2019, a simple request to fill in for a friend resulted in a passion for portraying the Tea Santa Claus.

“I had such a good time filling in for my friend that year, I immediately asked if I could play the part again the next year. I had such a good time that I bought my own suit and became the Tea Santa Claus,” Tea Santa Claus said.

Visiting between 15 and 30 locations from Thanksgiving to Christmas, the Tea Santa Claus makes time to visit with all those who wait to hear from him.

“Breakfast with Santa at the Legion is my favorite event of the year as they gave me my start and I can truly feel the Christmas spirit in that room,” he said.

Another highlight for the Tea Santa Claus is DakotAbilities, an organization that fills his heart with warmth.

“What started out as a one-hour visit has turned into a three-hour trip because I don’t want anyone to feel the pressure of a time crunch, and I want to make sure that everyone gets to have their moment with Santa,” he continued.

Through years of practice, the Tea Santa Claus is getting pretty used to the tough questions thrown at him each year.

“You get your typical questions of ‘Do you know my name?’ or ‘What did you get me last year?,’ and it’s pretty easy to talk your way out of questions like those. The magic truly lights up in the children’s eyes when they ask how I get in their house with no chimney and I show them an old brass skeleton key,” Tea Santa Claus said.

Some encounters that the Tea Santa Claus has had, stuck with him all these years later.

“I had a little boy I think of every year. When I asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he said, ‘I want my dad home.’ I asked where he was, and he told me he was in Afghanistan. That hit me right in the feelers. I gave him a hug and reminded him that his daddy is over there working and protecting us, and his job while he is gone is to protect the house, take care of his mom, and be the man of the house. I reminded him that he is a lot stronger than he thinks he is, he is a good kid, and that I knew his daddy was proud of him,” he said.

As the Tea Santa Claus’ own children have grown, he found that the Christmas spirit had faded, but each year, stepping into the Santa role has ignited excitement in his family and encouraged them to join him on his path.

“My wife is going to be stepping into the role of Mrs. Claus next year after together we attend classes at Santaclausology, a school that will teach us more about being good Santa Clauses, how to deal with children, the questions they have, and the proper protocols of the job,” Tea Santa Claus said.

Every holiday season parents are determined to get the perfect photo with Santa, but sometimes they end up with a much different shot. While a photo of a child screaming might seem daunting at the time, the Tea Santa Claus wants parents to remember to enjoy all the moments of the season.

“Whether parents are looking for the screaming picture or are trying to avoid it, it’s going to happen. We don’t want your child to be afraid of Santa forever, so we try to make the process as quick and seamless as possible. In the end, it’s all memories, and it’s a rite of passage to look back on who screamed with Santa and who didn’t,” he said.

Thankful for the snow on the ground for this weekend’s Breakfast with Santa, the Tea Santa believes the season is best with as much white stuff on the ground as possible.

“I love the snow and cold, and Christmas isn’t truly magical without snow on the ground, something I’ve felt since childhood. My wife, on the other hand, grew up in Southern California. Christmas morning to her was putting on new rollerblades and riding down the street,” he said.

Santa invites all to take a photo with him Saturday morning, no matter the age, as traditions are where we find the Christmas magic we are looking for.

“There is true Christmas magic in watching the children’s eyes light up in seeing Santa. I love watching families come together and the camaraderie because a lot of families don’t have that closeness anymore, but when it comes to Santa and getting them all together, it’s nostalgic for everyone, and they all get in the spirit to share in the love and each other’s company,” Tea Santa Claus said.

The Tea Santa Claus gives a reminder to everyone this Christmas season to slow down, spread love, and extend the kindness we are all capable of.

“I encourage everyone to slow down this holiday season and stop to look around and see that we are all humans trying to get through the day. We’ve lost some of that Christmas spirit over the years, and this year I want everyone to try harder to be nice to one another,” Tea Santa Claus said.