Santa's on his way

Four-year-old Mitchell Freeman is excited about the car he received at a toy drive held by City Outreach Ministries and Bedford County Veterans Council's Big Brothers. See story and more photos in today's print edition.
(T-G Photo by Kay Rose)

[Click to enlarge]

"All of them?" He laughs robustly, just the way you'd expect, "Ho, ho, ho!" and all. "Heavens, no. This particular room just covers Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. We have dozens of rooms just like this one."

The warehouses are located deep underground, so it's difficult to get a good mental picture of just how large the complex is. The home and workshop visible from the surface -- although not, strangely enough, from most satellite photos -- are just a tiny part of the complex.

The underground complex is heated with the help of geothermal energy, although Santa, with a wink, tells visitors it's powered by love and the spirit of giving.

"There's nothing more powerful than that," he said, sitting down for a few brief moments in a well-worn leather chair in his office. "Christmas isn't about words or songs or trees or wrapping paper. It's about giving."

He held up a Nov. 24 issue of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "Did you see this story? It's about some women in Kampala, Uganda. They earn about $1.20 a day if you convert it into American money. There was an aid worker there, Amy Cunningham, who told these women about Hurricane Katrina. All Amy wanted was for the women to pray for the people of the Gulf Coast. But these women raised $900 and gave it to Amy to give to hurricane relief.

"Do you have any idea how much $900 is in Uganda?"

Santa grinned at the thought.

"Giving is a powerful, powerful thing. That's why I'm the luckiest man around!"

He gestured towards a small, hand-carved soapstone Nativity scene on a shelf near his desk.

"When we give at Christmas, we're remembering the greatest gift of all." He walked over and picked up the manger with the little infant inside. His chubby, calloused fingers held it with a sublime gentleness.

"The shepherds and the wise men knew that God had given us a special gift -- but at the time, no one realized just how special."

He placed the manger carefully back in the center of the tableau. His voice was soft and careful.

"Tell the children in your town that giving gifts, not receiving them, is what makes Christmas so special. Tell them to get to bed as soon as their parents tell them to on Saturday night. Tell them 'thank you' for all the goodies they've left me over the years.

"And tell them one more thing," he said, the twinkle returning to his merry blue eyes. "Tell them, 'Merry Christmas!'"