Staff Photo by Randall Higgins/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Dylan Killian said he didn’t need a written list when he visited Santa Claus at Bradley Square Mall, along with his family, including Tabatha Stone. Grandmother Louise Hunt was behind the mall photographer with encouragement for Dylan. Pete Vanderpool, dressed as Santa, has been the jolly old elf for 20 years with more them have of that at the mall.CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Today is Pete Vanderpool’s 20th anniversary as a Santa Claus.
Vanderpool has brought Santa Claus to Bradley Square Mall, with all the season’s cheer and happiness, every year since 1996.
“We love this guy. He is so sweet and kind to everybody,” said Brittany Freeman, second in line Thursday with her children Victoria, Isabella and Barrett.
The Freeman kids, along with many others, had cookies and milk, a reading of “The Night Before Christmas” and watched a movie, “The Polar Express,” earlier.
Vanderpool said there are stories for every annual visit.
“This year I had a little girl on my lap. She was just the sweetest little girl, dressed to the nines. We had our conversation. Then she came over to the side. There was a lady in a wheelchair. Another lady whispered that’s the little girl’s mom.
“She had trouble holding her head up. Whether that was from an accident or an illness I don’t know. But it really touched our hearts,” he said.
What do kids want this year? Santa’s answer was instant.
“A Nintendo DSi and an Xbox 360, which is another thing on the market,” he said.
Twenty years ago, it was Barbies for the girls and trucks and cars for the boys, he said.
“That’s still there, but the electronic games are really big,” Vanderpool said.
Vanderpool said Santa Claus has a special message for his visitors this year, and for everyone who opens a Christmas gift of any kind.
“Every present they open — somebody loves them enough to go out, get the present, bring it home, wrap it up and put it under the tree. So when they open it they should say, ‘Somebody really loves me.’
“It could be that Nintendo DSi. But it could be underwear. They always laugh when I say underwear. But I always say, ‘But somebody loves you enough to bring you underwear because you may need it.'”
In the off season, Vanderpool and his wife, Joyce, contribute to community social needs including The Santa Project, a nonprofit effort designed to entertain children while educating them about staying safe.
Contact staff writer Randall Higgins at rhiggins@timesfree press.com or 423-314-1029.