Right now, he’s dressed in his true-to-form garb: velvety red suit with trimmed white fur, matching pompom-tipped hat, black belt, gold buckle, silvery-white mustache and beard, the look completed with a pair of rickety glasses.
But even when it isn’t Christmastime, one of Winnipeg’s favourite Santas is still spreading cheer in various other outfits across the seasons. Greeting passersby on Nairn Avenue, a major thoroughfare connecting downtown to the eastern suburbs, he is visible from hundreds of metres away, every single day, come rain, shine or Prairie blizzard.
That’s because this local Santa is a 10-foot statue erected on a pedestal. Placed on the front lawn of a snug bungalow, the popular hard-plastic fixture has captured the essence of his city’s spirit for years with his campy costumes.
Drivers and passengers travelling busy lanes of traffic in the Elmwood area are treated to the view of his bold Hawaiian attire during summers, Blue Bombers jersey for football playoffs, gown and sash for graduation times, orange shirt for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, rainbows for Pride month festivities, and a shamrock-adorned hat with green facial hair for St. Patrick’s.
He has taken requests to customize his wardrobe for birthdays and anniversary announcements. He even helped with at least one marriage proposal.
When the Jets lost their chance at the Stanley Cup in 2023, Santa’s dejected clothing perfectly encapsulated the heartbreak of Winnipeg’s hockey fans: He was clad in his robe and shower cap, holding a loofah.
Keeping this quirky tradition alive, however, hasn’t always been easy, explained Nicole Abbott and her husband, Richard Holm.
The duo has been attending to the Santa on Nairn for nearly half a decade.
Before that, it was the responsibility of their neighbour, Terry Haluik, who had placed the statue outside his home on and off for several years. But when he moved away from the area in 2021, Mr. Haluik decided the best place for Santa was the house next door, where he would continue to be on display for city dwellers.
“Taking care of him has certainly come with its challenges,” said Ms. Abbott.
Santa has twice been assaulted. Er, vandalized.
In 2022, he was dressed to the nines in maple leaf accoutrements for Canada Day, when his caretakers woke up to find him smashed to bits. But after they posted about the damage on Santa’s Facebook page, hundreds of his loyal fans stepped up, raising the money to bring him back to glory within a few days.
“The level of support was just shocking. One of Santa’s followers actually managed to find the same exact statue in America, which we ended up buying through the fundraising,” Mr. Holm said.
“Then, after that, when people started commenting online about his safety, the guy who ran the GoFundMe page helped with raising even more funds for us to buy security cameras for him.”
Santa seemed safe after that – perhaps a testament to Winnipeg’s love for him, considering vandalism is quite common here – until earlier this year.
In February, the cameras that Santa’s followers provided for him recorded a man picking up the statue on a snowy afternoon, yelling expletives, throwing and kicking it around. “Die, die, die,” the man was heard saying as he walked away, leaving the figure mutilated.
Ms. Abbott was at the deli across the street, where she works, while Mr. Holm was at home, working remotely for his pet insurance job. He watched the incident unfold from their window. “I was very, very angry,” he said. “But I’m glad I was smart enough to stay inside.”
The couple filed a police report. They never heard back about it.
Once again, Santa’s fans saved the day. This time, one of his followers not only found a statue to donate but another member of his community also volunteered to build him a pedestal.
The plinth is nearly half of his total height. “It’s now a telescopic stand, meaning it goes up and down, and makes him so tall up in the air that he’s basically unreachable for anyone except for us,” Mr. Holm said, knocking on wood to prevent any jinxing.
Ms. Abbott and Mr. Holm, both 48, say they will do their best to keep the tradition going as long as they’re alive and able to afford it.
And this holiday season, the pair held their first public event. It’s another ritual they hope to maintain: a donation drive in partnership with the Christmas Cheer Board, a non-profit that provides hampers and toys to Winnipeg families in need.
“We so appreciate the support that’s been offered to us over these years. We get gift cards, little notes, cars honk-honking all the time, and we wanted to extend that back to the community,” said Mr. Holm, dressed for the day as the grumpy but cherished Dr. Seuss character, the Grinch.
On a mid-December Saturday so frigid that Santa’s pedestal was too frozen to be lowered for posed photos with his fans, more than six dozen people still showed up with enough donated gifts and non-perishable food to fill up an entire living room.
“Honestly, doing this all is a lot more sustainable and cost-friendly than you would think,” Ms. Abbott said. The dollar store provides an array of options, and many of Santa’s outfits can be reused with some reconfigurations.
“We always want to keep it fresh,” Mr. Holm chimed in. “It’s such a true joy for us to bring other people happiness with whatever our Santa is wearing next.”
More holiday cheer from The Globe and Mail
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