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43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 25, 2004 Longtime Santa Don Smith chats with Amira Boucher, 2, of Medford, at Medford Open Imaging. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Santa’s first suit fired his holiday spirit Don Smith makes sure, wherever he is, that kids have a Santa to talk to By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune When Medford resident Don Smith slipped into a bright red Santa suit more than a half-century ago, he knew he’d found his calling. He’d been loaned the suit by a friend who asked him to portray Santa for a sick granddaughter in a small North Dakota town where winters get as chilly as they do at the North Pole. At 6 feet, 140 pounds, he didn’t look much like the real Santa. Still doesn’t. But as instantly as his first "Ho-Ho-Ho" and a smile from that sick little girl, the then 18-year-old was so taken by filling in for Saint Nick that he went out and bought his own suit. "That little girl was so cute," Smith said. "She had curly hair and the biggest brown eyes. � I don’t look like Santa at all. I’m skinny, and I was really skinny back then. Advertisement "I got her up in my lap and she said, ‘Santa, you should have Miss Claus feed you more. Your legs are really, really skinny." Over the next 50 years of Christmas seasons, Smith made sure that wherever he was, children had a Santa to tell their wishes to. "I would put on a suit and walk down a street on Christmas Eve. If I saw kids in a house, I’d carry candy canes in, just bust open the door and walk in and go ‘Ho, Ho, Ho!’ " Smith recalled. "I bet there’s still a few parents out there saying, "Who was that strange man?’ " Born in Flanders, S.D., Smith credits his father with his love for Christmas. As a child, holidays were a big deal and, as he got older, he said he wanted other children to have happy memories. Shortly after his first stint as Santa, he joined the military as a paratrooper. He moved on to a 35-year career with Red Wing shoes to keep busy between holiday seasons. A half-century later, Smith has charmed thousands of schoolchildren, neighbors and even his own brood, which includes eight daughters, three sons, 25 grandkids and 15 great-grandkids. "My own kids couldn’t pick me out of a crowd when I was Santa," Smith said. "It took me years to convince them that was really me. My whole persona changes when I put that suit on." After so many years — the last four of which he has played Santa at Rogue Valley schools, businesses and elsewhere — he has yet to have a child check his credentials. "They never grab a beard and pull on it," noted Smith with a serious tone. "They’re very gentle with Santa � maybe they’re real careful (because) they think they won’t get any toys." A less publicized part of the job description — things don’t always go smoothly for Saint Nick or even a skinny man trying to fill his belt. One year, his own daughter locked him outside in a fit of panic since she had not gone to sleep yet. Another year, Santa had trouble keeping his act together. "I use a lot of padding because I’m so skinny. One year, I had just visited a little boy and as I was running across the front yard, my butt fell off and took my pants with it," Smith admitted with a laugh. "There was Santa Claus rolling around trying to get his pants back on � I just can imagine what it must have looked like." Despite the occasional mishap, friends and family said Santa Claus himself would be pleased with Smith’s body of work. Daughter Chere Trujillo, who lives in Central Point but goes "home to Dad’s" for Christmas Eve, said her father took the job for "all the right reasons." "Six foot of heart is all he is," she said. "When it comes to kids, he’s a soft touch. He could go in the grocery store and spend four hours because he has to talk to everyone, see every little baby � you couldn’t pick a better stand-in for Santa." Ardy Smith, his wife of 23 years, said being married to Santa’s double was an eye opener. "The kids really believe in him," she said. "One little girl he talked to the other night tried to leave when he did. She followed him out the door, asking about Rudolph." "Kids are just wonderful and it’s so great when you’re Santa Claus because all of them love you so much," Smith said. "All they have to do is look at me with those big eyes and I melt Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. 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