Christmas Stories Throughout The Years | My Grandpa: The Santa I Believed In

When you are a kid, magic feels real. And for me, it was; because I grew up believing my grandpa was Santa Claus.

I remember going to school and proudly telling my friends that my grandpa was Santa. Some believed me. Some gave me the side eye. And some just laughed… until the day he picked me up from school. Let’s just say the laughing stopped and the wondering began. He truly looked the part.

My grandpa had a background in theatre (his headshot photo above from his early years) and even had a small role in a Hollywood movie in the 1950s.

His younger photos show a completely different man from the Santa I grew up knowing: handsome, polished, confident.

Back then, you wouldn’t look at him and see Santa. But as he aged, something shifted. His face softened, his cheeks rounded and his eyebrows, mustache and beard grew into what looked like the real deal. Add the suit and the bag and he was instantly believable.

During the holidays he was always booked. Parades. Community events. Photos. Encounters that lit up little faces everywhere.

But childhood innocence has its limits.

As a little girl, I didn’t understand that some of his “jolly glow” came from alcohol. I only saw the Santa suit, the rosy cheeks and the booming laughter. But in junior high, reality hit. The magic cracked a little. Everything I believed about Santa and my grandpa, shifted in a way I wasn’t ready for.

And for a while, I never looked at Santa the same. But as an adult, I see the full picture with more grace. He was a man with struggles. A man who loved performing. A man who brought joy to countless children in our community. A man who lit up Christmas in the only way he knew how.

And even though the illusion eventually faded, the memories never did. Because for a very real and unforgettable part of my childhood… my grandpa truly was Santa Claus to me.