Sequel to Santa on Vacation in Maui

I know full well that Christmas is over and Santa is not really on people's minds right now, however meeting him on vacation in Maui kind of changed all that for me.

If you read the comments on the blog post Santa is on Vacation in Maui you will see what I mean. I thought that this one from his sister Rose was very telling.
"I get very teary eyed when Santa Joe tells me all the wonderful stories he has relating to children. He also becomes very emotional about his work, and although he is my brother, I believe he has become the true Santa."

It seems that when Santa Joe touches people's lives in any way, they just never forget him.

A woman named Cindy, left the following comment

"I truly loved your article on Santa Jo. Santa Jo and his wife are an exceptional couple whom have came to our house for the past 5 years for our annual Christmas party. He really does have a way with children not to mention adults. They are genuine and very special to everyone who meets them. So glad you came across his path."
Cindy emailed me a photo taken at one of those Christmas parties, and said I was welcome to share it with my readers. (see photo at top)

This made me think that if anyone else has a photo taken of or with Santa Joe, I would love to post it on this blog.
Also please leave a comment if you can tell us more about this remarkable jolly fellow and how he has touched your life.
It is so wonderful to know that the spirit of Christmas is around not just for a day, but for 365 days of the year because of this man!!!!

If you email us a photo of Santa Joe, or if you send us a story or comment about how this special man has touched your life we will offer you a discounted rate at our  Maui Garden House vacation condo between the dates of May 1 and Nov 1, 2011 subject to availability.

Santa is on Vacation in Maui

The other day as I was walking along the sidewalk at the Piilani Village Shopping Centre minding my own business, I did a double take. There seated in front of Starbucks was none other than Santa Claus himself, having a cup of coffee and reading the Maui News.
As I approached him I noticed that the words written on his red T-shirt said "Yes I Am Him" Of course there was no mistaking it. He had the same white hair and beard, just the right length, and the glasses perched on his nose definitely belonged to Santa. He was dressed in a red T-shirt, red shorts and red flip flops. I mean really, what else would Santa wear in our tropical climate?

I decided to take matters into my own hands and have a word with the old boy so I said Hi and asked him if he was on vacation in Maui. He said he was, and that he has a daughter and spouse living here so he and Mrs. Claus were visiting them and the grandchildren. I was surprised because I guess it never occured to me that Santa may have children, not to mention a life other than delivering presents on Christmas Eve. He went on to tell me that he lived in Georgia when he wasn't at the North Pole, and he was under contract with the Ritz Carlton Hotels there and in other states. He also shared with me that he does a lot of work for charity which keeps him busy after the Christmas season is over. He doesn't have a website because he is already so busy, he would be afraid of getting an overload of work.

Needless to say Santa is a very nice person to chat with and I was very happy to hear about all the people he helps year round. I asked him if I could take his photo to send to my grandson and post on my blog. He was delighted and said "Of Course"

He gave me his business card which is actually a copy of his Georgia driver's licence. It describes him according to hair color, eye color, height, weight etc. but with a few different twists. For example his weight is "Jolly" and his birthday is "Dec 28 A.D". Also his license never expires and the class is 'Senior Open Sleigh" with a restriction for no more than 9 Reindeer. His profession is quite appropriately classified as Toy Donor. I believe he must hand this card to children because on the back is the "Kids for Character Pledge" which he has permission to use courtesy of Character Counts, a program billed as being the biggest character education program in the nation. Not a bad thing to advocate I thought. So, I became more and more impressed with this jolly fellow and the fantastic work he is does year round.

After our little chat I left for home, with my belief in Santa strongly reaffirmed. I have to say that I experienced a Magical Maui Moment Meeting Santa on His Vacation.