By Christine M. Quirk — [email protected]
Dan and Diana Greenleaf, like Buddy the Elf, know the real Santa.
They’ve been special helpers of Jolly Old Saint Nick since 2008, as were Dan Greenleaf’s dad and uncle before him.
Dan helped found the New England Santa Society, which connects Santa’s assistants to discuss the best ways to help the big boss in the red suit. The Greenleafs also run a summer camp in New Hampshire to train Santa’s special helpers for the holiday season.
When Santa was looking for towns to visit in the weeks before Christmas, Diana suggested her hometown of Concord. Since 2017, Santa and Mrs. Claus have stopped in for the annual tree lighting.
With the help of the Greenleafs, The Concord Bridge caught up with the Clauses as they celebrated St. Nicholas Day. This interview has been edited for brevity (and jolliness).
The Concord Bridge: What makes Concord a special destination for you?
Santa Claus: There are a couple of things that Santa loves to do. One is ride in fire engines. The other is to do tree lightings. So, put together the parade with the fire engine and tree lighting, there’s two-thirds of what draws us. The third is meeting with children and families, doing photos, and finding out what they want for Christmas.
TCB: How long does it take to get to Concord from the North Pole?
SC: A little secret: We don’t always come down from the North Pole for every event. We do have some places around the area that we’re able to stay at. So we’ll come down and spend time for maybe a week or so before we go back. A lot of times, Mrs. Claus comes with me, but many times I’m by myself, and she stays at the North Pole, where she’s the boss.
Mrs. Claus: I take care of everything at the North Pole while he’s gone — which I do a lot when he’s not gone, too.
SC: I always tell everybody [that] when I’m not at the North Pole, Mrs. Claus is the boss, and when I’m at the North Pole, Mrs. Claus is the boss, too.
TCB: When you both travel, who runs the North Pole?
SC: We have elves [in] charge of all the different departments. [I] have a cell phone, just like anybody else would. I always chuckle when a child says, “You have a cell phone?” Well, yes, I need to stay in touch with the North Pole. And this is how we do it.
MC: Really, the North Pole is like a little city. Everything we need is there. … There are bakeries and doctors — everything you would need. The elves run their own businesses, and they’re very good at them.
TCB: Do you feel ready for Christmas?
SC: No, we’re never ready, but we know that the elves will get it done for us. That’s why I can go and travel and visit places — because I know the elves will get all the work done.
MC: Santa just has to get into the sleigh on Christmas Eve, and they’ve got the route all figured out, and they know how many gifts are going where, and he really doesn’t have to worry about any of that.
TCB: So, shout-out to the elves.
SC: Oh, absolutely. When people ask me different questions, a lot of times, I just have to say, “I don’t know. I have the elves who do that.”
TCB: Is there really a naughty list?
SC: During Covid, we decided we weren’t going to make it a naughty list at all because everybody was going through so many tough things. … Now we kind of have a naughty list, but it’s really only for the naughtiest of naughty. Most people can get on the nice list by just trying to be good, to do nice things for others, to listen to their parents, to really be a kind and gentle person, and make everybody’s existence more enjoyable.
MC: We all slip once in a while, but as long as you get back on track, that’s what matters. So … just about everybody’s on the nice list.
SC: I know parents sometimes like to use our naughty list as motivation, which I guess is okay. They can make me the bad guy and [say], “You need to behave, or you won’t get presents.” But pretty much everybody gets presents from Santa and Mrs. Claus.
TCB: What is your favorite part of Christmas?
MC: That’s hard, because I just love everything about Christmas, but I guess the joy that it brings to people and the kindness people show, and the traditions that you get to look forward to all year long.
SC: It’s always just such a joy when you meet people, and it’s not just the children. Sometimes it’s the adults that get more excited to see us than the kids because it’s that memory that they [had] when they were children and what it was all about. I guess the simplest answer to the question is, the look in the children’s eyes when they see me and talk to me. There’s just nothing like it.
