They say a moment’s decision can have lifelong consequences. For Lake Highlands resident Andy Anderson, that decision came when he decided to help out his local PTA, back in the early ’50s.

Sign up for our newsletter!

* indicates required

 

Anderson was just barely more than 20 and living in Mesquite with his wife, who was in charge of the preschool PTA’s annual Christmas party. She soon realized she had a problem. She had the all the decorations, music and food ready. She even had a Santa suit. She just didn’t have a Santa.

 

As the party loomed near and no Santa was found, Anderson said he’d do it. A slender young fellow of 5’9”, he probably wouldn’t be anybody’s first idea of a good Santa. In fact, the suit was so large on him they had to stuff it with two standard size pillows to fill it out. But Anderson , blessed with a natural gift of gab, seemed to have a knack for it.

 

At the time, Anderson had no idea it would be the start of a 50-year tradition. He just knew he had fun, and the kids did too. So he just kept doing it. After a few years, Anderson   made the decision to buy his own suit and make it a seasonal career.

 

Fifty years later, much about Anderson ’s life has changed. He’s retired from his sales career, a cancer survivor and a heart patient. His four kids are long since grown, most of them having left the Metroplex. But one thing hasn’t changed: Each fall he pulls out his two Santa suits, dusts them off and begins booking holiday parties and events.

 

At 75, Anderson doesn’t seem too concerned about getting older. “I’m 75 and shooting for 100,” he says. “And I still like to stay active.” Besides, there’s a perk to being an older Santa: the beard and hair are now authentic. “For years I wore fake hair and beard. It was high quality and looked real. But now it is real.”

 

Over the years, Anderson has worked at grocery stores, shopping malls and scores of Christmas parties across the Dallas area. One of his favorite events was back in the early ’80s, when the Dallas series was popular. Anderson was hired on a handshake to play Santa at SouthFork Ranch for three weeks.

 

“Dallas was in its hey day then, with J.R. and the whole thing. Thousands of people came. On the first night, they brought me in on a helicopter, so everyone could see me arrive.” (Of course, the idea was that he was flown in from the North Pole. In reality, he took a direct flight from Garland .) “Then one morning they sat me at one end of a large building and brought school groups in to see me. There must have been 1,500 kids there waiting to talk to Santa Claus.”

 

But while Anderson ’s worked at some big events and impressive places, he says the best part of being Santa is always the kids. “Some of them are just so cute,” he says, “you can really get caught up with them in just a few minutes. They look up at you with such wide eyes, because they think you’re the real McCoy. They’re really getting to talk to Santa Claus.”

 

And talk and talk and talk, in some cases. “Some kids talk from the minute they crawl up on your lap,” he says. “I mean, they run at the mouth non-stop. They just can’t tell you enough. Others you have to pull it out of them, to get them to say anything. That’s when you really have to build a rapport and know how to talk to them.”

 

And it’s not always kids who want to talk to Santa. “The youngest was four or five days old, and I think the oldest was 83,” he says. “And there’s been every age in between. Once two huge football players, about 300 pounds each, wanted to have their picture taken together. So they each sat on one knee. Thankfully they sat really lightly so they wouldn’t crush me.”

 

In 50 years, Anderson ’s heard just about every request. In more recent years, though, he’s had to work at knowing just what it is the kids are asking for. “Today, so many of the toys are high-tech,” he says. “I try to stay up on that. I read ads for toys, watch commercials and things. But some of them I still have no earthly idea what they’re talking about.”

 

Not to worry, though. Anderson ’s developed a highly successful way of dealing with the problem. “I just pass that off on Mrs. Claus,” he says. “I say she’s in charge of the elves who make the toys, because I’m so busy talking to the kids and getting ready for my trip. So even though I’m not completely familiar with it, she’ll know all about it. I just tell them I’ll talk to her about it.”

 

Now that he’s marked his 50-year anniversary as a Santa, does Anderson every consider putting the suit away for good? “Well, you keep thinking, this will be my last year. But I still enjoy it. The kids are really precious. So as long as my health holds up, I’ll keep doing it.”