About 40 years ago, Bob Smith recalls, he was filling in as Santa Claus at a local mall when he noticed a young girl out of the corner of his eye who was using sign language with her mother.
“I can’t talk to Santa. I’m deaf,” the girl signed. She set her hands on her hips and was refusing to approach him.
Little did they know, Smith, who’s from Bethlehem, had worked as a sign language interpreter for the State of Connecticut for decades. He looked at the girl and signed, “Do you want to talk with Santa?”
To this day, Smith said, he still remembers the smile on her face and the tears in her mother’s eyes. The 7-year-old ran and jumped into his lap. “She had missed out on seven good years of chatting with Santa,” Smith said. “After that, I said I have to continue to do this as long as I can.”
He was hooked.
He especially wanted to make sure children who use sign language would have a chance to talk to Santa.
Smith’s story is one of hundreds, even thousands, of the memories shared by those who play Santa and other festive roles during the holiday season. They also helped inspire the creation of the Connecticut Society of Santas, with partners Charlie Allen and Bill Dexter.
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Dave Daniels poses for photos at a holiday event at the Middlefield Senior Center. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror -
Louise DesJardins and her husband Phil DesJardins pose for a portrait at the entrance to their West Hartford home. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror -
Charles “Duck” Unitas waves a stuffed animal to catch the attention of a child posing for a photo with Santa Bill Dexter and elf Marty Landgrebe at the McGivney Community Center in Bridgeport. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror
The Connecticut Society of Santas is a nonprofit that was organized nearly 20 years ago. It is now a network for over 75 individuals who have taken on roles as Santa, Mrs. Claus or elves. They feature at events across the state — and year-round — like Christmas in July parties, Zoom calls to the North Pole, weddings. Their most common job, though, is hearing the holiday wishes of countless children, seated happily upon their knees.
Members of the CT Society of Santas come from a variety of backgrounds, from veterans to teachers, bankers, state employees and health care workers. What they share is a love of spreading and being surrounded in Christmas joy — with children, and children at heart.
The Connecticut Mirror interviewed a few members of the CT Society of Santas, or CTSS, about how they came into their role and their favorite, or most memorable, experiences.
A festive couple: Louise and Phil DesJardins of West Hartford
Generations of children have confided in Mr. and Mrs. Claus, sharing their deepest wishes.
Some children climb into Santa’s lap and ask for a new iPhone or a puppy. But sometimes their wishes are more poignant: for family members to come back to life or for parents to love each other again.
Louise and Phil DesJardins, who play the Claus couple, keep a prayer book at home with the names of children who have shared difficult Christmas wishes. Louise said while some wishes may not come true, or might not be within the scope of Santa’s capabilities, they want to make sure the wishes aren’t forgotten.
“I find that children will whisper into your ear and tell you something that they wouldn’t tell their parents,” Phil said. “It’s like a priest with a confessional. When kids tell you [their wish], that’s sacred. That’s between you and the child.”
The DesJardins were high school sweethearts, and they’ve been married for 53 years. Phil, who has a big white beard, became a Santa after a friend suggested he join the organization. Louise DesJardins was roped in not long after her retirement. The pair has been a Santa and Mrs. Claus team for nearly two decades.
They have their share of sweet memories of the remarkable, and thoughtful, kids they’ve met along the way.
Louise recalled one boy who made her feel extra special. “Last year, this little boy said to me, ‘I know Santa always gets cookies, but I want to give you flowers. So on Christmas Eve, I’m gonna leave flowers for Santa to bring back to you, because you deserve something too.’” She smiled. “His mother [said] it was all he was talking about.”
One of Phil’s favorite stories was when he observed a young teenage boy who was taking care of his younger sister who had disabilities.
“He took such care of her with empathy and love,” Phil said. “He was right by her side, soothing her, calming her. And I said [to his mother,] ‘You should be very proud of that boy you raised.’”
Zoom Santa: David Sizemore of Cromwell
David Sizemore first played Santa for his family, a role passed down to him from his uncle who died in the late 2000s.
Sizemore was an educator at Xavier High School at the time, and he enjoyed the role with his family so much that he brought it with him to work. Every Friday around Christmastime, he’d dress up as Santa and take selfies with students — in exchange for a donation to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
From there, it snowballed. Sizemore began to attend conferences. He connected with other Santas to learn more. Sizemore was fully immersed in Connecticut’s Santa community, even serving as vice president of CTSS for a few years, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020.
With social distancing measures, Santas had to get creative. Sizemore bought a tapestry with a scene of Santa’s workshop, and he visited with families on Zoom, offering them a glimpse of the North Pole in his background.
“I ended up Zooming with 250 clients across the world in 46 states and three countries,” Sizemore said. “The parents would send me the information in advance, so I knew everything about the kid. You can imagine, their eyes were like saucers.”
One of the memories that stands out to Sizemore — and one of the more difficult Santa experiences he had — was when he was contacted by a children’s hospital in Oakland, Calif. “They put Santa on a cart, on a laptop … and they would wheel me into each room,” Sizemore said. The visits lasted for hours.
He remembered some of the children were so young they were in cribs. It was a difficult experience because “you cannot break character,” Sizemore said.
“You have to find a way. You can’t break down. You have to just try to be as much a part of that character you can be,” Sizemore said.
“Every kid is slightly different. Some were in the hospital and knew they were going to get released, maybe the day after Christmas. But some kids were really sick and you don’t see that in a hospital setting a lot.” When he disconnected from those calls, he said, “It was time to exhale.”
Santa’s elf: Marty Landgrebe of New Milford
As a Connecticut Probate Judge, Marty Landgrebe spends his days at a courthouse. So playing an elf and entertaining kids in his off-hours offers a nice contrast.
“It’s just great to see the kids’ faces, how they light up and see that there’s Santa,” Landgrebe said. “I think Santa brings out that extra little charm and joy in kids when they see him. Even the grownups say, ‘Oh, that is Santa. I want to remember those days.’ That’s a great thing to go back in time.”
Landgrebe was approached by one of the founding members of CTSS in 2010 and asked to be an elf to help “add to the whole presentation,” for children.
In the last decade or so, the experience has allowed the Santas, Mrs. Clauses and elves to develop relationships with families who visit year after year.
Landgrebe said he’s visited with one family every year. Their daughter who was 4 years old when they first met is now entering high school, he said.
He’s also provided the entertainment at weddings. The couple who requested the performance told him, “You have to come dressed as an elf.” He responded, saying, “Alright, well, I’d be more than happy to then.”
As Landgrebe told the story, surrounded by his fellow Santas, their laughter was contagious. He recalled he wasn’t the only person who showed up in character to the wedding. There was Mother Nature, a werewolf, Peter Pan and other costumes. “It was one of the most entertaining weddings I’ve ever been to!”