A busy old elf

With a full white beard and no need for costume stuffing, Santa Don is a 64-year-old, 275-pound Kris Kringle come to life.”I'm never in the outfit without the beard,” said the Northwoods Mall Santa Claus on Tuesday about the facial hair he starts growing in August. “Most of the time it's gone by the day after Christmas to avoid confusion.”A retired military man and Caterpillar Inc. employee, Santa Don has played the jolly old elf for six years, the last two years at Northwoods. He's employed by Noerr Programs Corp., which prefers to keep their Santas' last names private.On a busy day, Santa Don said he'll see five children every 15 minutes. And his favorite part of the job is spreading holiday cheer to handicapped children.

via A busy old elf – Peoria, IL – pjstar.com.