“
Home For The Holidays” November 21, 2012 A Lincoln Daily News Magazine Copyright 2012
24
Believing and being your best
Y
es, Virginia… there is a Santa Claus…
and there is a Santa Claus… and there
is a Santa Claus.
It’s that time of year when parents may be
facing a particular challenge. As kids get a
little older, they start to realize that the Santa
they see at the mall, the one on TV and the one
at the Christmas parade are not the same guy.
This may cause them to pose questions about
how and why there are
so many different Santas
and which one of them is
real.
LDN has found the
answer. First of all, they
are all real, but none of
them is really Santa.
They are, however,
chosen by Santa to serve
as his ambassadors, if
you will, during the
holiday season.
In the Lincoln and Logan County area,
there are at least four such ambassadors who
frequent local businesses, schools, parties and
other holiday events, much to the delight of
young and old alike.
Among them is Terry Bell, who for half of
the year is just plain old Terry Bell, but along
about July and August a transformation begins.
The big man at the North Pole starts working
his magic, and Bell becomes a very convincing
Santa substitute.
The magic begins with the beard, says Bell.
This year it began taking shape in July, and
right now it is at full length and looking really
good, though before next week it will probably
turn a little whiter.
Bell likened his transformation to the movie
starring Tim Allen, “The
Santa Clause.” In that
movie an unfortunate
accident transfers the
magic of Santa to Allen,
and in no time at all he
becomes the real thing.
Bell said no one replaces
the real Santa, but the
transformation part of
the movie is otherwise
pretty accurate.
Through the fall, Bell’s
beard has continued to
grow, and he has become more recognizable
as Santa, much to the delight of many area
children. Bell says they know who he is just by
seeing the beard. He doesn’t have to have the
red suit and cap for children to come running
to talk to him about their wishes for the coming
Christmas.
Bell recalled: “We were in Wal-Mart the
other day and heard kids running in another
aisle. Suddenly they rounded the corner into
the aisle we were in and they stopped. ‘You are
Santa,’ they said.”
Bell said he confirmed that he was Santa and
visited with the kids awhile; then they were
happy to go on their way, knowing they had a
head start on delivering their Christmas wishes.
Bell also remembered coming across a mom
and kids shopping not long ago, and it didn’t
start out well. Having Santa magic, Bell can
see when kids may be teetering off the “nice”
list. He asked a little girl if she had been good,
and her face fell as she sadly whispered “no.”
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