There’s a saying that says there are four stages to life:
• You believe in Santa.
• You don’t believe in Santa.
• You are Santa.
• You look like Santa.
And up until I came to Newton County, I had been at stage two of life, but thanks to Newton Chamber of Commerce directors Leigh Anne Whittle and Emily Pugh, I have officially entered Phase 3.
If you were at the Christmas Whistlestop on Dec. 1, you might have seen a familiar face donning the red suit. Yes, that person was me.
It’s not every day that you see a six-foot, five-inch Santa Claus — wearing New Balance shoes because the boots are too small — walking around a place like the Newton Historic Depot, but it seems to be happening with more regularity each year.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun to watch and see how kids and adults react to you when you’re in the suit. Kids who usually talk up a storm don’t know what to say when they see the big Christmas guy. If they don’t get shy, then they usually start crying.
And when the adults see Santa walk in the room, it usually puts a smile on their faces. It’s hard not to smile a little bit when Santa is around. Sometimes, those smiles turn to laughter when they find out who is actually the man behind the beard.
It’s a bit of an humbling experience, but it’s a lot of fun too. The only thing that wasn’t fun was being Santa Claus when it’s nearly 80 degrees outside with 75 percent humidity. I was rather sweaty after that ordeal.
So, I’m firmly entrenched in Phase 3 of life. Since I don’t quite want to get to the place where I look like Santa Claus, I’ll just enjoy this part of life when I get the chance to play the big guy.
Maze is the publisher of the Newton County Appeal. He can be reached at bmaze@newtoncountyappeal.com
