This morning, as I worked through my preparations for the Christmas season, I realized the last time I wrote here was in January. I had just put away the ornaments and was looking ahead to a new year. Now here I am getting ready to bring them out again, wondering how eleven months passed without my sitting down to tell you what I’ve been up to.

It’s been a full year here in Sandy, Oregon. Some of it was spent with a shovel in my hand, some with a fishing pole or a golf club, and quite a bit of it thinking about Christmas. It’s also been a year that asked a great deal of our little town.

A quiet place in the backyard

Early in the year, my family and I visited the Portland Japanese Garden. As an avid gardener, I went in curious about the plants and the design. What stayed with me was how the place made me want to slow down. There was always something worth stopping to look at, and the longer I stayed, the more I noticed.

By spring, I was out in my own backyard trying to create a little of that feeling at home. Somewhere along the way, I looked at my storage shed and decided it might make a perfectly good tea house. One project became two, and I ended up with a Japanese-inspired garden and a quiet place to sit and enjoy it.

The tea house has become a favorite place to read, think, and have a cup of tea without hurrying through it. I’ve thought about that feeling as I prepare for Christmas. A visit with Santa can be the biggest thing on a child’s calendar and still feel overwhelming when the moment comes. A quiet hello, a little room to get comfortable, and the time to let a child decide what happens next can make all the difference.

A loss our town is still carrying

At the end of May, a shooting here in Sandy took three lives and wounded a police officer. Among those who died was a teenage boy who lost his life protecting other children in his neighborhood. Our community remembers him as a hometown hero. I keep thinking about the courage it took for someone so young to look out for others in a moment of such danger.

In a town our size, a loss like this feels close to home. As Christmas approaches, I’m thinking of the families who are grieving and of the neighbors who continue to show up for them. I hope the months ahead bring those families some gentleness and room to remember the people they love.

Summer days and a September lesson in legacy

Over the summer, I got out to fish and hike, and I spent time golfing with my father. I’m glad we made time for those rounds. An afternoon on the course gives us a few hours together, and that’s what I find myself remembering long after I’ve forgotten the score.

Christmas was never far from my mind. I continued writing for the quarterly magazine Santa Claus Now and attending weekly classes with fellow Santas. We talk through the things that actually come up in a visit. How do you welcome a child who wants to stay by the door? What do you say when a wish list turns into a conversation about someone they miss? There’s a lot to learn from hearing how another Santa listened and what they did with the moment they were given.

In September, I was invited to speak at this year’s Claus Cram. My talk, The Legacy Advantage, was about passing what we’ve learned on to the next generation of Santa performers. I’ve benefited from people who took the time to explain why they do things a certain way, or who were willing to share a mistake so the rest of us could learn from it. I want the next person putting on the suit for the first time to have that same chance.

I’ve also continued serving as treasurer on the board of Santa’s Pack, our local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas. I’m working on a welcome packet for new members so they’ll know how to get involved and who to turn to with questions. Walking into a room full of people who already know one another can be intimidating, even when everyone in the room looks like Santa Claus.

What I’m dreaming up for future visits

This year, I spent time imagining what a more immersive Santa visit could feel like. What if a child arrived to find Santa in the middle of a bit of workshop business and got to lend a hand? What if the story began the moment they walked in, with something to discover before we ever sat down for a picture? I’ve been thinking about how a story, a few well-chosen props, and a simple activity could give families something to do together and something to talk about on the ride home.

Several of those ideas are still on paper. What has become clearer is the kind of visit I want to create. I want children to feel comfortable enough to ask questions, take part if they want to, and surprise me with where they take the story. Some will be ready to help Santa from the moment they walk in. Others may be perfectly content to sit by the tree and listen. There’s room for both.

The Christmas calendar is filling

The requests for this season are starting to come in, and I expect I’ve heard from only about half the people who will reach out. With a 50-hour workweek alongside my Santa work, I have a limited number of times I can offer. I keep advertising fairly light for that reason. Already, I’ve had to decline more requests than I’ve been able to book. Sometimes the date and time are already spoken for, and sometimes the visit is farther from Sandy than I can travel.

For now, I’m turning my attention to the season ahead. There are storybooks to pull off the shelf, a studio to get ready, and families I’m looking forward to seeing again. I’m looking forward to writing here more regularly, too. With any luck, I’ll get another post up before it’s time to put the ornaments away.

Warm Christmas wishes from Sandy, Oregon,

Father Christmas of the Three Mountains