You don’t have to travel all the way to the North Pole to find Santa when he’s in Northern Virginia.
Dave Saunders, aka Santa, is a Fairfax County, Virginia, fire fighter and member of Local 2068. Every year, he uses off-duty hours to visit hospitals, charity events, and more than 100 homes, bringing smiles to children as Santa Claus.
“The kids love Dave as Santa. He comes out to our annual toy drive to hand out gifts and take pictures,” Local 2068 President Robert Young said. “We probably have two or three hundred kids come in over the course of the day and Dave makes time for them all.”
Saunders, a 30-year veteran fire fighter, said he always loved Christmas, but didn’t consider taking on the role of Santa Claus until his son developed some medical issues and had to spend a lot of time in the hospital.
“Hunter was only about 6-years-old at the time. Even as a young kid, he wasn’t worried about himself. He wanted to do something for the other kids there, and said he wanted me to be Santa and he would be the elf. How could I say, ‘no’?”
Saunders said he enjoyed those early visits, so he decided to continue doing it, but needed a business license and training.
Dave had his suit made by a tailor and uses the most authentic-looking beards he can find. And Hunter continued being the elf until he got too tall. (He’s now 22.)
“I didn’t know until I started doing research that there was a such thing as Santa school, but there are several located around the country,” Saunders said. “I went to one in Colorado. I am glad I went because being Santa is more than just letting kids sit on your lap.”
Dave likes everything about being Santa, but said his favorite is home visits. It’s the full Santa experience from reading a story to delivering a gift.
“Some families book me every year, so I have gotten to see (their kids) grow up. That’s really special,” he said.
After Saunders retires from the fire department, he said he plans to continue being Santa but will grow his own beard.
