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We found Santa – in the Downtown Eastside!

"There's a strong sense of community here. People care for each other and share what they have all year, not just at Christmas."

December 19, 2024

After seeing this fellow around in the neighbourhood for a while, most often at the Chevron across the street where I get my coffee, I decided to put caution aside and ask the question that had been bugging me.

“You look a lot like Santa,” I said.

“Are you him and what are you doing here?”

“Shhh,” he replied, as he paid for his coffee.

“I’m travelling in-Claus-nito. I’ll talk to you outside.” We walked out in to a rainy October afternoon in Vancouver.

“Listen,” I said, “I live just across the street. Come on over and we’ll have our coffee there. I’ll get us some real cups instead of these paper ones. My name is Gilles.”

“OK. I’m Santa, but people don’t usually recognize me when I’m wearing ordinary clothes.”

“So you are the real Santa…?” I asked as I opened my door and we stepped in.

“It’s true that Santa has many helpers around the world, but the real Santa is always among them,” he said.

“So what are you doing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside? I thought you live at the North Pole.”

“I keep a home here for the off-season. I’ll be heading back up north next week. I love my time in the Downtown Eastside. There’s a strong sense of community here. People care for each other and share what they have all year, not just at Christmas.” I had so many questions.

“What’s it like being Santa? Don’t all those screaming kids drive you crazy?”

“Quite the opposite. Children are always a delight, even when they are not happy. Children can be sad, angry, frightened or joyful; often, all of those things happen in five or 10 minutes. Children have so much to teach us about living in the moment, about being close to our true selves.”

“So we have a lot to learn from children?” I asked.

“Most adults have forgotten the wonder of childhood and have lost touch with the magic of their inner child. People who spend thousands of dollars on retreats, workshops and self-help books need to pay more attention to children and connect with their inner child. It’s the child inside us who is always with us and keeps our sense of wonder alive.”

“Is it true that sometimes kids pee on Santa’s lap?” I wondered.

“I have a Santa helper friend from Surrey who calls it the ‘Santa Hat Trick.’

That’s pee, puke and poo, all in one day. I think it’s about letting children be children, no matter what.”

I wanted to keep this conversation going, so I asked, “Would you like another coffee? I can brew some up.”

“That would be nice, thanks.” As I brought the water to a boil, I asked him, “I’ve heard that Santa has been around for a long time in different guises and cultures. What can you tell me about that?”

“Santa is part of a tradition that goes back thousands of years. Many cultures worldwide tell the story of a mysterious stranger who brings toys, food and other gifts to families and children during the darkest time of the year.”

“But the solstice is also the beginning of light’s increase, as days will soon begin to get longer and nights shorter.

“The stranger also brings warmth, hope and the promise that light is just around the corner. Hope during dark times carries the promise of magic and sharing gifts nurtures love.”

“I’ve always thought it a bit silly that Santa has to come down through the chimney,” I said.

“Why can’t he just use the door like normal people?”

“Back in the day, cabins and in what are now called longhouses would get buried in snow up to the roofline, so the only way for visitors to come in was through a hole in the roof, much like a chimney.”

After I refilled our coffee, he continued, “And close to the chimney, socks and other clothes were often hung to dry, so the presents were hidden there as a surprise.”

“I had no idea that the Santa story was so old,” I told him.

“It feels to me like people have loved helping people forever, and a magical stranger story to tell children makes it all that more special.”

Santa went on: “Stories about solstice gift-givers appear to have originated in Indigenous cultures in Northern Asia. These included the cultures of the Nentsi people (Yaal Peninsula) and the Sakha People (Yakutia, North Siberia), the Evenki people and other tundra nomads, and the Karelian people. Finland, Russia, Sweden and many other northern countries have these stories.”

“So how did all the stories live on and become the modern Santa Claus?”

“Around the 4th century. Nicholas of Beri was a Greek Catholic bishop living in Turkey. There is little documentation, but legends suggest he was concerned about abuse and exploitation and he provided generous gifts for children. Stories about Saint Nicholas circulated as the church’s influence spread across Europe. The tradition remained with the rise of the Protestant Church, which did not recognize Catholic saints.”

“So ‘saint’ becomes Santa?”

“With the reformation, stories about Saint Nicholas transformed to become friendlier to Protestants. Stories circulated around Northern Europe, Germany and the Netherlands. By the time these legends reached the Netherlands, he was called Sinterklaas. When the Dutch settled in America, Sinterklaas followed, but the pronunciation evolved into Santa Claus.“

Wherever people go, their stories follow them.

“And they change. In 1812, Thomas Clemons Moore published the poem, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, which has imagery from many traditions that honour winter, the solstice and transformation.”

“That poem is so much fun and has such powerful imagery and magical joy in it,” I said.

“I love reminding people that there is joy in the world and that even though the world can be a harsh and horrible place, we can hold on to hope and joy even in the darkest moments. By 1881, a famous illustrator of the day, Thomas Nast, published an image of Santa that is close to today’s version.”

“That, to me, is your magic, Santa,” I told him. “You remind me that the light is coming… that the darkness follows the light and the light follows the darkness. We live in cycles where renewal is always possible. When I start missing the light and the long days around this time of the year, I remind myself that light begins its journey back in seven or eight weeks.”

Santa added: “Remember also, the children are the ones who are most involved in the renewal of the world.”

I had to ask… “So what do you want for Christmas, for the solstice, Santa?”“I want every child, including adults and their child within, in every corner of the Earth to be safe, warm and full of joy. Peace on Earth and justice for all.”

“When can I see you again?”

“Watch for a special Santa event in Strathcona and the Downtown Eastside in the week before Dec. 25.”

Jim Sands/Santa Claus is a Downtown Eastside community member who appears at venues throughout the Lower Mainland at Christmas time.

Gilles Cyrenne is a retired journeyman carpenter, now writing full-time. He is vice-president of the Carnegie Community Centre Association and has been involved for more than a decade with various writing groups and projects. Gilles is a member of The Shift peer newsroom.