NOBLESVILLE— Christmas is just two weeks away and Santa and his elves are hard at work making sure there’s plenty of holiday cheer this season, and one of Santa’s workshops is closer than you think.
In a store front window on 9th Street in Noblesville is where you’ll find the city’s own Santa Claus putting together wooden toys.
“If I’m doing a show or I’m here and a kid runs half way down the block to see Santa that’s really great. I feel like there’s some responsibility there to instill that magic and that joy in those kids and their parents,” said Geoff Davis, who is Noblesville’s Santa.
Davis even talks to those who don’t believe.
“When kids stop believing, being that neighborhood Santa Clause has been a great transition because kids come in and say ‘I know you’re Geoff’ and I say okay and we talk about that and keeping the magic alive but growing out of that,” said Davis.
Davis has been dressing up as Santa for the past five years. He’s a retired teacher who spent 35 years teaching in Carmel and IPS.
“The last couple years were really challenging. They were closing schools and I got reassigned and things were really tough,” said Davis.
His last year at IPS he got to be the jolly guy in the red suit for the first time.
“It was everything I thought it’d be,” said Davis. “I was in this horrible cheap suit and it was nothing believable but it still was because the kids want to believe and that's the magic.”
Davis says it also brought the magic back for him.
“The anxiety and the angst about school, I was not a very nice person so I looked at Santa Claus as a way I could bring joy and meaning back to Christmas for me,” said Davis.
Davis is also an artist, so becoming Santa was an easy transition.
“My art has always been about making things that are toy-like or toy-inspired,” said Davis.
Now he spends retirement and the month of December being in the storefront and bringing joy.
“Everything I do goes back to building community,” said Davis.
Santa has an appearance at Syd’s on Sunday. Brunch and Stuff with Santa starts at 10 a.m.
You can see Santa at 92 S 9th St. in Noblesville.
