Maple Grove Magazine, Nov/Dec 2005

Here comes Santa Kroft

By Kelly Westhoff

It was a chilly, December night when Garry Kroft peered from his boyhood bedroom window. The oldest of five boys, Kroft had begun to questions Santa's existence. But he didn't want to doubt Santa; he wanted to believe.

Kroft's parents were far from well-to-do. Five boys in the house kept money tight, yet Christmas was an indulgent time. Every year, presents crowded the tree. Surely Santa helped see to that. Perhaps, Kroft thought, if he watched the night sky, he could catch a glimpse of Santa to prove that he was real.

And it happened. A bright moon illuminated the cloudy night. The wind picked up, the clouds shifted and there it was—Santa's sleigh. It appeared, a flash in the sky, and was gone. But it was there, he had seen it. He was a believer.

Kroft is no longer that little boy peering into the December night sky looking for signs of Santa. Today, instead, Kroft is Santa.

It only takes one glace to know that this is true: a crop of white hair covers Kroft's head, a bushy white bread sprouts from his chin and a round little belly pops over his belt. Go ahead, approach him, ask him if he is Santa. More than likely, he will pull a Pez dispenser out of his pocket—a Santa Pez dispenser—and offer a piece of candy.

The remainder of this article can be found in the November/December 2005 issue of Maple Grove Magazine.

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