We were pleased to FINALLY welcome Santa Claus to our Christmas Party on the evening of December 15, 2020!! John Wolcott, a Rotarian from East Greenwich RI, has been playing this part for about 40 years. His son, Matt Wolcott is a Portland Rotarian and we first heard about John after he spoke to the Portland Rotary club in 2018. He was scheduled to join us in December 2019, but bad weather cancelled his appearance.
John shared a bit of history about Santa Claus. The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Orphaned by cholera and raised by an uncle, he was Bishop of Myra by age 30. He died on December 6, now called St Nicholas Day. Today, Nicholas is considered the patron saint of sailors, children, wolves, prostitutes, and pawnbrokers, among others.
John shared some drawings of Santa Claus, Father Christmas (English), Pierre Noel (France) and Sinterklaas (Dutch & German) over the years. In 1823, Clement C Moore published “A Visit from St Nicholas” which added a lot to the lore – reindeer, chimney, December 24, jolly elf. While earlier versions of Santa showed him in tan, green, and red suits, finally settling on red, it is pretty clear that Coca-Cola advertising in 1931 played a big role in shaping the jolly character that we know today.
We thanked John and Matt for joining us. A children’s book was donated to both Baxter and Warren libraries in John’s honor.
Since we could not hold our usual Yankee Swap this year, after Santa’s presentation, we played Christmas Bingo. Unique cards were purchased by several party attendees and included Christmas-themed answers like Christmas Tree, Wreaths, Silver Bells, Santa Claus, Rudolph, Frosty, Ornaments, Mistletoe, Toys for Tots, among many others. Thanks to all who played we raised $235. Congratulations to Pat Plummer on her win! Since this was a 50/50 fundraiser, Pat chose for her half of the funds to be donated to FBC Westbrook for their current Guatemala project. The other half of the funds are earmarked to be donated for Polio Eradication.