Santa Claus has a lot of calls to make every Christmas, so it should come as no surprise that he enlists helpers to make a few of them early. So it was that “Santa” stopped in the Windsor Place Skilled-Nursing Care Center at Plantation Pointe in Columbus Dec. 1. The weather outside was slightly frightful, but rain showers did nothing to dampen spirits inside — and if St. Nick bore a subtle resemblance to former military man Claude Niebuhr, no one was telling.
Glenn Lautzenhiser of Columbus arranged the visit, just something nice he likes to do for the Windsor residents he has grown to care deeply for since he began volunteering to give twice-weekly devotionals at the facility in 2013. Sixty or more of the women and men who live there were assembled in an activity area that Tuesday morning. They listened to Lautzenhiser tell the spiritual legend of the candy cane, and to seasonal songs led by Santa’s helpers — Edwina Williams, James and Ann Allen and Linda Wood. Dixie Butler was at the piano.
Resident Earnesteen Butler said later, “I didn’t know all the words to the songs, but when I did, I sure sang along!”
When time came for Santa to go straight to his work, his bag yielded stuffed animals for everyone gathered. Lautzenhiser purchases them out of his own pocket.
Why a stuffed animal?
“I don’t care whether you’re an adult or a child, that’s something you can hold on to — something you can touch and feel and hold on to,” he said.
Niebuhr, as Santa, made sure everybody had a stuffed animal before pronouncing to the crowd, “Ho, ho, ho! I need to go back to the North Pole now to start making all those toys for the girls and boys!”
That North Pole reference rings truer than anyone there knew.
Being Santa
Niebuhr and his wife, Susanne, lived for almost 30 years in a little bedroom community 14 or so miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. It is called, you may have guessed, North Pole. Its main attraction is Santa Claus House, a modern-day incarnation of a trading post established in the town’s early days.
“It was easy giving directions to our house: just turn left at Santa Claus House and go about three-quarters of a mile into the woods,” laughed Niebuhr.
It was in North Pole that Niebuhr first discovered his Christmas calling, when the local PTA recruited him to don the red suit and appear at an elementary school. He was even furnished real reindeer.
The holiday persona continued, even after the California native retired from the U.S. Air Force and, although never stationed in Columbus, chose to relocate there in late 2009.
“We found out about Columbus, and it really spoke to us, so this is where we are,” he said.
Someone at the couple’s new church home, First Baptist Church, learned there was a Santa in their midst, and now he is kept busy with appearances. He does it “because it just brings a little happiness.”
Niebuhr’s wife made his resplendent velvet suit, in part because well-fitting wardrobe for a 6-foot-5-inch tall Kris Kringle isn’t easy to come by. She is also his official driver for these outings.
“It’s a little hard to drive when you’re all suited up,” she explained. There are perks, too, like witnessing motorists’ reactions when Santa waves from the passenger side. “And when he comes out from making a visit, he’s just always real happy, talking about the people and how happy they seemed to be.”
Connecting
This was Niebuhr’s second Christmas at Windsor with Lautzenhiser and other volunteers. They don’t expect it to be their last.
“As long as I can continue to do this and people look forward to it, I don’t see any end to it at all,” Lautzenhiser said of the celebration and his regular visits to share devotionals year-round.
He “draws a big crowd,” said Tryekia Petty, a certified nurses’ assistant at Windsor Place.
“They love it, and with it being Christmas, it brought tears to some of their eyes, bringing back memories,” she remarked. Visitors are an emotional support for many of the residents, Petty added, especially those who don’t have family.
Within minutes of returning to her room after the Christmas gathering, Butler had her new stuffed bear from Santa propped against the decorative pillows on her neatly-made bed. Her walls were decorated with pictures of loved ones, some of them children.
“I enjoyed it tremendously! I loved it,” she said, clearly delighted.
That makes Niebuhr’s response to why a grown man dresses up as a whimsical character every December perfectly understandable: “Did you see their eyes, when Santa came in?” he asked. “That’s why I do it.”
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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