Merry Christmas to all my Christian friends. And to all my friends of other belief systems… happy Chinese food and movie night!Â
I met Dave on Ghostvillage.com. He was an actor, storyteller, and a friend. He passed away in June of 2005, but not before leaving his mark on a lot of people. I asked him what it was like to play Santa.
I played Santa at Universal Studios Hollywood for five years. Parade, lap, and media Santa. But my favorite memory as a Santa was when I went out with a group of volunteer performers to a place that was basically a day care center for senior citizens who couldn’t really take care of themselves. That’s where I met Frank. Frank had a stroke and couldn’t speak anymore. A nurse/helper-type person wheeled him up to me and said, Frank, tell Santa what you want. I watched as this man who reminded me of Kirk Douglas struggled to try to speak and saw the tears build in his eyes when he couldn’t, and I heard myself say, “It’s all right, Frank. Santa never forgets a friend, and we go way back. I know what you want and I’ll do my best. Bless you Frank.†I’d never said bless you to anyone before. Frank then grabbed me in a hug so tight I thought my ribs would break. We were both crying openly. Absolutely no shame. As we were leaving, the nurse said Frank had been unresponsive for a week before that visit. I went back the next year and all they knew was that Frank was no longer there. I sure hope he got that wish.