Mr. & Mrs. Clause

Difference Maker:

Mr. & Mrs. Clause

Some heroes wear capes, and other heroes wear wigs and Santa suits. Sit with me while I get the opportunity to ask Julie questions about how she and her husband give back and provide Christmas cheer well beyond the Christmas season. 

Q: How did you and your husband begin the journey as Mr. and Mrs. Clause? What is/was your motivation to do this?

A: My husband Casher started doing Santa visits in 2013 in the Alton area.  A couple of years prior to that, he did a Breakfast w/Santa for his son’s fundraising event at their school. There was a single mom that had brought her little girl to see Santa.  Mom was dressed in well-worn scrubs, having come from work. The little girl was all dressed up in a pretty dress, and the girl told Santa that her mommy had gone to the thrift store to buy her a pretty dress to see Santa in. She climbed up in his lap and asked for paper and crayons so she could make a card for her Mommy for Christmas, and that was all she wanted. This made such an impression on him that he vowed to try to make other kid’s holidays memorable. When we got together in 2014, I became Mrs. Claus, and the requests have continued to roll in. We have visits that we do as far north as Fort Madison, IA, and as far south as the St. Louis area. We have some families that we have seen for over 10 years and have watched the kids grow up. We attended a family’s last Christmas that was arranged by our friend, who is a hospice nurse. We have made appearances in the middle of the year for birthday requests or sick kids’ requests to cheer them up. We visited families in opulent homes surrounded by all money can buy and once visited a family to take them gifts from an anonymous friend that lived in a concrete basement with no bedrooms or true bathroom or kitchen.  

We have heard requests ranging from baby dolls, teddy bears, and iPhones to baby brothers/sisters, a family of their own, and for their mommy to love them. This ministry has many highs and joyous moments as well as sadness. Our motivation is that we hope to spread love and joy to those around the holidays, no matter what their circumstances.

Q: How do you utilize the donations you collect? Any examples/stories of things you have helped with?

A: We see this as a ministry, and this seems to be our gift/talent that has been given to us. We ask for a minimum $25 donation no matter what the event/time. We put all money received in what we call our “Santa Fund.” Over the last few years, our families and businesses have been very generous and allowed us to be able to share $2000-$3000 a season with those who need a little help, whether it be assistance in paying a bill, buying food, taking care of a personal need or just to surprise someone with a little extra. We do not have a set way we find these people, but feel God leads us or puts people in our path that need something. One year, I was at a wig shop looking to upgrade the wig I wear. In the shop was a woman in her 40’s that had been diagnosed with breast cancer who was getting ready to start chemo treatment. She was trying on wigs and was struggling with the whole process. Something literally pushed me in the back to step forward and purchase her wig for her. Opportunities always present themselves in the most unexpected ways. One year, we became aware of a young mother struggling to purchase gifts for her kids for Christmas. A gift card was delivered to her work for the purpose of helping her out with whatever needs she had. Another time, we knew of an older gentleman that had a fire in December right before Christmas. The house was a total loss. It was in a small town, so Santa literally went to the post office and gave them an envelope with gift cards in it and they knew how to get it to this gentleman. Sometimes, our Santa Fund goes fairly quickly, and sometimes, we are still helping others in June or July.

Q: How do people book you for an event? 

A: People reach out to us through text or phone calls and word of mouth. We try our best to work people in around our long-standing visits we already do.  Our phone number is 217-653-8174. We have had to be wise in scheduling things in November and December as the elves were not wise in picking their times to have baby elves, and we have three grandchildren born in November and December in 2021! We make visits as Santa and Mrs. Claus to a total of 10 grandchildren from Pensacola, FL, to Nashville, TN, to Lebanon, MO, to Springfield, IL.