HOLTS SUMMIT — “Santa Joe” Baker isn’t letting COVID-19 stop him from spreading Christmas cheer.
Joe Baker, of Holts Summit, has donned the red suit and hat each year for more than 30 years. The Holts Summit Fire Protection District firefighter and medical transporter loves making children smile.
But this year isn’t quite like any other, he said.
“COVID has not slowed me down,” he said. “Well, it has slowed me down, but I’ve actually done more personal appearances than usual.”
After so many years in the business, Baker attends a number of large events annually as Santa Claus. Many have been canceled this year.
“People just said, ‘We’re not going to do it; we can’t control social distancing,’” he said.
It’s been a hit to the pocketbook. But private events booked by individual families have helped make up the difference.
“As far as Santa is concerned, I’ve been doing personal appearances in people’s homes,” he said. “Just in the last week, I’ve had 14 families at the North Pole (Baker’s home) taking their family photos in front of Santa’s Christmas trees. We did six families in one night.”
He also got to play Santa at a recent wedding reception in Fulton, much to the delight of the children in attendance.
The precautions Baker takes vary from event to event, he said.
“I’ll tell you, Santa does not wear a mask around the kids,” he said. “If the parent asks, (I will) certainly — I have a red mask, I even have a clear face shield — but most of what I’ve been doing, the parents don’t want it. They want the Christmas pictures to be Christmas as always.”
Several families who have booked him mentioned being saddened by the Plexiglas separating Santas from children at malls and other big-box stores, Baker said.
The official advice from Santa is to “wear your mask when out in public,” he added.
In addition to visiting children in person, he has also made calls as Santa over FaceTime and the phone.
“If a parent calls or texts me and says, ‘Hey, can you talk to my child?’ — yes, I’ll do it,” Baker said. “It’s all about the kids. The kids have suffered a lot this year, and I’m all about making the kids happy and smiling.”
His personal philosophy is to make someone smile every day.
“I get out of bed every day,” he said. “If I can make one person smile, one person laugh, I guess I’ve done my job.”
But lately Baker’s been smiling thanks to an outpouring of kindness on social media.
Even when he’s out of costume, Baker carries quarters with him to gift to children who spot his bushy white beard and identify him as Santa Claus. On Dec. 5, Baker was at Sonic in Jefferson City with his daughter when two children spotted him.
“Two little girls recognized me as Santa and just started screaming and yelling and jumping,” Baker remembered.
He gave the younger girl a quarter, and when the older girl announced her birthday was the next day, he gave her a dollar. Wishing the two a merry Christmas, he bid them goodbye.
Not long after, Baker’s daughter told him to look at Facebook. Amber Burnett, the children’s mother, had posted to a public Facebook group for Jefferson City telling the story.
“Thank you for bringing some joy to them during this crazy/unusual year we’re all having,” she wrote.
The post racked up many positive reactions. Then, just a day later, he gave a quarter to a girl at Break Time in Holts Summit. That interaction, too, popped up on social media, with many commenters correctly identifying Baker and praising him as a true Santa.
“The people that have commented on that have commented because they know who I am in the community and they know what I do,” Baker said. “I’m so humbled that I don’t know what to say, I don’t know how to react to it.”
Baker said he doesn’t expect recognition for his small acts of kindness, but the community’s response has warmed his heart during a chilly season.
“Santa Joe” can be found online on his Facebook page, “Santa Claus Joe Mid Mo.”