Volunteer Keeps Christmas Spirit Alive

Oshawa This Week newspaper, Thursday, December 27, 2007

By: Parvaneh Pessian

OSHAWA -- A local Santa impersonator's charitable personality shows he can be even better than the real thing when it comes to spreading the holiday spirit.

Sixty-one-year old Richard Philpot has been donning the classic big red suit to bring joy to children for about five years.

Throughout December, he makes about 20 appearances as Santa for YWCA Durham, Sunrise Youth Group, Eastview Boys' and Girls' Club, Northview Unit of Eastview Boys' and Girls' Club, and St. Paul's Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Philpot starts growing the famous Santa beard in July and doesn't cut it until after Christmas. His wife, Sandy also helps out and the children know her as Mrs. Claus.

Mr. Philpot said playing Santa brings him a lot of joy and he often gets so pumped up it takes him a while to come back down to earth.  "I get the most amazing high that you could imagine. I get so energized by all these wonderful people I get to meet, not only the children but the staff and the parents too -- it's a whole heap of fun."  Underneath that jolly exterior, there really is a man with special gifts up his sleeve, demonstrated by his devotion to volunteering.

Born and raised in London, England, Mr. Philpot is a computer consultant by trade and has owned his own company, RAP Computer Consultants Ltd., since 2001. He has done a wide variety of computer-related work, such as writing software, building networks and repairing systems for his clients that are usually not-for-profit organizations.

In addition to IT consulting, Mr. Philpot has worked closely with these organizations as a volunteer since 1994. He is on the Board of Directors of Distress Centre Durham and recently became involved with the Youth Justice Committee.

Lisa McNee Baker, executive director of the Eastview Boys and Girls Club, said Mr. Philpot is extremely generous with his time, attending all four parties the club holds.  "He's phenomenal," she said. "He's very patient and tolerant with the kids and as cheerful with the first child as (he is with) the last who sits on his lap." She added that Mr. Philpot helps the organization fulfill its mandate of giving children from all economic, cultural and social backgrounds access to projects and fun that might otherwise be out of reach for them.  "Eastview aims to provide a safe, comfortable place to experience different opportunities and a trip to the mall might be out of the question for some children. It's an affordable way to see Santa."

While in the Santa business, Mr. Philpot said he's been able to connect with children as they tell him what they want for Christmas because of their trust in the character.  "Some of it's really funny and some of it's really sad. I had one boy who said he wanted to see his dad and that kind of thing puts a lump in your throat."  The children from the Eastview Boys and Girls Club often come from very difficult backgrounds and Mr. Philpot said he feels fortunate to bring Christmas cheer to them.  "I consider myself a fairly ordinary person who had a chance to help people (and now) I can't imagine myself not doing it," he said. "It makes me feel good that everybody gets to see the same Santa every year."

Mr. Philpot believes he has become well-acquainted with the character he plays and has a natural knack for engaging children in interesting discussions.  The children usually want to know where his reindeer are and Mr. Philpot tells them he can't get a permit to fly over Oshawa except on Christmas Eve. To one parents' relief, when a little boy asked for a BB gun for Christmas, Mr. Philpot told him he wasn't allowed to transport firearms across the border.

Mr. Philpot said the youngest Santa visitor he's had was a two-week old baby and the oldest was a couple in their seventies.  "There's no age limit with Santa Claus, everybody loves Santa Claus," he said. Once when posing for photos, he remembers pulling an elderly man onto his knee and telling the photographer to take the picture quickly before he could shy away.  "I asked him 'When was the last time you had your picture taken sitting on Santa's lap' And he looked at me and said sadly, 'Never had.'"

With his white curly hair and 3-inch-long beard, Mr. Philpot is even mistaken for the big guy when dressed in regular clothing out in public.  The children immediately recognize him and get excited but Mr. Philpot said he loves the attention and often continues the act by going over and talking to them. "I never stop being Santa while there are kids around," he said. His grandsons, ages 10 and 8, see him as granddad first but still appreciate his work as Santa. "They're proud that I do it and I try to also create a community spirit in them and teach the true meaning of Christmas, which is about giving. I believe Santa lives inside each one of us in one way or another so if there's something I can do to help someone out, I'm going to do it," he said.

Despite the word-of-mouth awareness about Mr. Philpot's impressive work as Santa, he said he refuses to do it for money.

"(Charging people) would take away from what I do and why I do it. I did this to try and give something back but it doesn't matter how much I try to do for my community, I seem to get far more in return," he said. "I almost feel like I'm cheating people to be able to do this and have so much fun with it. It really is my pleasure and the thanks that I get is the look in the eyes of those kids."