The Magic of the Santa Claus suit
By Roberta Cannon
I had the honor and pleasure of talking with Santa Claus last Friday night. It was a magical conversation with a gentleman who truly loves what he does, bringing joy and believing to all in an often-chaotic world.
Thomas F. O’Hara of Mashpee, a selectman in town, has been Santa Claus to countless numbers of children for nearly 45 years, give or take a couple of years for time off. He has been the Mashpee Santa for about 22 years.
He was “chosen” for this role by his aunt when he was 19 years old and growing up in Medford. “My aunt lived on the other side of town and she called one day and asked me to help her with something,” Tom said.
When he arrived, she had a bolt of fabric on the island in her kitchen. Without a word, she began to measure him for a suit and within 15 minutes, she was done. She told him to return at 6:30 that night because he was going to be Santa Claus for her 2-year-old granddaughter.
Little did he know that as the neighbors found out about his visit, he would be going from house to house carrying a bag of candy canes to the delight of all the children. “It was a tight-knit neighborhood and everyone knew me,” Tom said. “I kept that suit and as time went on others outside of my family would request visits because they knew I had the suit.”
One of his first official jobs was at Joyce’s Gourmet English Muffins at the old Atrium Mall in Chestnut Hill. The manager was a friend of Mr. O’Hara’s. He wanted to pay him for his services but Mr. O’Hara refused. “I do it because I enjoy it and whatever you are going to pay me, give the money to the Children’s Hospital in Boston,” Mr. O’Hara said. “After that, it became Breakfast with Santa to benefit the Children’s Hospital.”
When he arrived in Mashpee in the 1990s his first stop as Santa Claus was the Kids Club in Heritage Park, a program run by Peggy Geary. That was followed by a fundraiser for the Mashpee Boosters Club and then the word got out. “Once your name gets out at one or two events, it grows after that,” Mr. O’Hara said.
Some of his most memorable experiences were at the old Mashpee Commons, where he sat visiting with children. He has been in the Mashpee Christmas Parade for a number of years, riding in various modes of transportation including fire trucks, an electric car similar to a golf cart, a Mustang convertible and, this year, in a sleigh on the back of a tow truck.
Mr. O’Hara truly believes he is Santa Claus when he dons his suit. “My suit is a special suit, it has magic in it and when I wear it, I become Santa Claus. I try to think how Santa would be and how he would act.” And Mr. O’Hara is very intuitive to what children need when they visit with him. “I use simple lines that help them to talk with me such as ‘look how tall you’ve gotten.’ Then they begin to believe I am really Santa,” Mr. O’Hara said.
Even when he is out socially, with Mrs. Claus, wearing a red sweater and a white turtleneck, adults will call out to him and ask for pictures with him. After the Mashpee tree lighting this year, he and his wife went to La Cucina Sul Mare in Falmouth for dinner. As he walked through the restaurant, he heard a couple of people yell “Santa!” while trying to get his attention. After dinner, as he was leaving the restaurant, he passed a table with a number of adults. One guy asked for a picture with Santa and then his wife asked to sit with him and have her picture taken, too.
When we think back to our childhoods and reminisce about our experiences with Santa Claus, we bring some of that magic into our own homes and families during the Christmas holiday. And my interview reminded me of the time when whimsy and believing were such a big part of giving and receiving.
That awestruck feeling came pouring back to me as I finished my interview with Santa. “Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas, ho, ho, ho!” he said. For a brief moment, I became that child again.
Originally published by The Mashpee Enterprise, December 23, 2016
Thomas F. O’Hara of Mashpee, a selectman in town, has been Santa Claus to countless numbers of children for nearly 45 years, give or take a couple of years for time off. He has been the Mashpee Santa for about 22 years.
He was “chosen” for this role by his aunt when he was 19 years old and growing up in Medford. “My aunt lived on the other side of town and she called one day and asked me to help her with something,” Tom said.
When he arrived, she had a bolt of fabric on the island in her kitchen. Without a word, she began to measure him for a suit and within 15 minutes, she was done. She told him to return at 6:30 that night because he was going to be Santa Claus for her 2-year-old granddaughter.
Little did he know that as the neighbors found out about his visit, he would be going from house to house carrying a bag of candy canes to the delight of all the children. “It was a tight-knit neighborhood and everyone knew me,” Tom said. “I kept that suit and as time went on others outside of my family would request visits because they knew I had the suit.”
One of his first official jobs was at Joyce’s Gourmet English Muffins at the old Atrium Mall in Chestnut Hill. The manager was a friend of Mr. O’Hara’s. He wanted to pay him for his services but Mr. O’Hara refused. “I do it because I enjoy it and whatever you are going to pay me, give the money to the Children’s Hospital in Boston,” Mr. O’Hara said. “After that, it became Breakfast with Santa to benefit the Children’s Hospital.”
When he arrived in Mashpee in the 1990s his first stop as Santa Claus was the Kids Club in Heritage Park, a program run by Peggy Geary. That was followed by a fundraiser for the Mashpee Boosters Club and then the word got out. “Once your name gets out at one or two events, it grows after that,” Mr. O’Hara said.
Some of his most memorable experiences were at the old Mashpee Commons, where he sat visiting with children. He has been in the Mashpee Christmas Parade for a number of years, riding in various modes of transportation including fire trucks, an electric car similar to a golf cart, a Mustang convertible and, this year, in a sleigh on the back of a tow truck.
Mr. O’Hara truly believes he is Santa Claus when he dons his suit. “My suit is a special suit, it has magic in it and when I wear it, I become Santa Claus. I try to think how Santa would be and how he would act.” And Mr. O’Hara is very intuitive to what children need when they visit with him. “I use simple lines that help them to talk with me such as ‘look how tall you’ve gotten.’ Then they begin to believe I am really Santa,” Mr. O’Hara said.
Even when he is out socially, with Mrs. Claus, wearing a red sweater and a white turtleneck, adults will call out to him and ask for pictures with him. After the Mashpee tree lighting this year, he and his wife went to La Cucina Sul Mare in Falmouth for dinner. As he walked through the restaurant, he heard a couple of people yell “Santa!” while trying to get his attention. After dinner, as he was leaving the restaurant, he passed a table with a number of adults. One guy asked for a picture with Santa and then his wife asked to sit with him and have her picture taken, too.
When we think back to our childhoods and reminisce about our experiences with Santa Claus, we bring some of that magic into our own homes and families during the Christmas holiday. And my interview reminded me of the time when whimsy and believing were such a big part of giving and receiving.
That awestruck feeling came pouring back to me as I finished my interview with Santa. “Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas, ho, ho, ho!” he said. For a brief moment, I became that child again.
Originally published by The Mashpee Enterprise, December 23, 2016