While Santa Claus moves around, for 27 years he and Mrs. C lived in Ada. We caught up with him on Christmas Eve and posed these important questions to him. He is also known as Richard Gainey on the other 364 days of the year.
Icon: Where in Florida do you reside?
Santa Gainey: Fernandina Beach. When entering the State of Florida from Georgia we are the first two exits.
Icon: Have you every seen anyone from the Ada vicinity while you’ve been in Florida?
Santa Gainey: Bob Ward has visited often and we have run into the parents of a former ONU student at Fort Clinch State Park. John Hartley’s parents were wearing an ONU sweatshirt and it was hard to miss.
Icon: Do you still have a St Nic vanity plate?
Santa Gainey: I no longer have a personalized tag but I have a plate on the front of my car that says St. Nick.
Icon: Do children in Florida ask you the same questions as they did in Ohio?
Santa Gainey: Most of the questions are the same, but I have to explain what snow is as well as how my reindeer do in the heat.
Icon: Do you ever go out in anything other than a red suit - say, a summer outfit, when you meet the public?
Santa Gainey: A summer look or “casual Santa” look is a necessity. Red shorts, Hawaiian shirt, Santa hat.
Icon: What seems to be the big thing kids ask for this year?
Santa Gainey: Sadly, IMHO, electronics. Cell phones, computers… items that are for solo use and not shared. Playing together is not as popular as it once was.
Icon: Do you still have, and use, your naughty or nice app on your phone?
Santa Gainey: Every time I am on a visit. The secret to the app is I control it. It is fun to choose one person to be naughty in a group. I also give out coins that say naughty or nice.
Icon: Do you have any new apps like that one that you use?
Santa Gainey: The only other app that I use is a Christmas Countdown… Days, hours and minutes.
Icon: How many public appearances have you made this season?
Santa Gainey: My visits in Florida are similar to Ohio. Home visits, business visits and office parties. My first visit is to a cupcake shop where I spend six hours in a chair and see close to 300 children. I also make it a point to visit with the Nassau County (Florida) Council on Aging every year. My final visit for the year will be to visit the local hospital in Christmas Eve.
Icon: Is there a Santa Claus organization in Florida, similar to the one in Ohio?
Santa Gainey: There are two. The Palm Tree Santas in Central Florida and we just started a new group, The Florida Georgia Santas.
Icon: Have any kids pulled on your beard this season to see if it’s real?
Santa Gainey: A few babies have grabbed my beard and a few senior citizens.
Icon: Aside from being Santa, what else are you up to, since we’ve not heard from you lately?
Santa Gainey: I was hired over the phone as an adjunct Instructor at Florida State College at Jacksonville and began teaching in January of 2016. I have taught a variety of courses in multimedia journalism. I am also a volunteer at Fort Clinch State Park and Becky and I are part of the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Patrol and walk the beaches looking for turtle nests during the summer.
Icon: Seen any good movies lately?
Santa Gainey: Well, do you count 30-40 Hallmark Christmas movies… :-)
Icon: What’s Mrs. Claus (aka Mrs. Gainey) up to these days?
Santa Gainey: Becky considers herself an “Elf” and never Mrs. Claus. Becky enjoys walks on the beach picking up trash and recently took a clay class and enjoys working with pottery.
Icon: When someone in Florida asks you where are you from, how do you describe Ada, Ohio?
Santa Gainey: Ada was home for 27 years and when I mention Ada I have to add other cities to put it in perspective and add, Ada is a small town in the middle of everywhere. When we moved, it was a return to Florida as I grew up some 30 miles away in Jacksonville.
Seasons greetings, nice talking with you!
