My career has afforded me many titles, but Wednesday
night gave me one of my most memorable: Brandon C.
Williams, Santa Claus.
Having played the role of the Easter Bunny for Unity
Church of Christianity from 2010-17, I figured playing
Santa wasn’t in the cards for me, leaving me to believe
that being the central figure in one holiday was enough.
Through the recommendation of La Marque city councilman
Chris Lane and strong support from Library Director
Amy Miller and Children’s Library Director Terri Walk er,
the offer to play S. Claus came in October of 2017.
Everything was set for me to be the main attraction at the
La Marque Christmas Parade of Lights last December,
but Mother Nature and her need for windy and wet conditions
pulled the plug on the parade, although I was able
to perform as Santa for a host of kids at the library.
Being Santa on Wednesday still has a surreal feeling
for me. To be able to put on the outfit and do this in my
hometown was an honor and a blessing. Still, I’d be lying
if I said I wasn’t nervous leading up to the start of the
parade. A host of questions flooded my mind as I triple
checked my beard, made sure my stocking was filled
with candy and to prepare
myself for any and
all questions.
OK, there was one question I wasn’t prepared for:
“Where’s Mrs. Claus?”
Rather than go with the first thing to come to mind
(“she’s at home recording the Nuggets-Magic game
for Santa”), the universally safe “she’s at home cook ing
goodies for all you boys and girls” worked better
while also keeping me from doing the un-Santa thing
of checking my phone for scoring updates. If asked
back for 2019, I’ll make sure to have an actual Ms.
Claus available.
Time quickly granted the opportunity to get more
comfortable in the role. To hear the first child yell out,
“Santa!” touches your heart in a manner that is nearly
impossible to describe, becoming more impossible
as you see their eyes light up in glee as Santa tosses
candy and tells them “I’ll see you on Christmas Eve.”
Playing Santa allowed me to forget the troubles of
the world and – for just a brief moment in time – become
awash in the beauty of the season. To have the
chance to receive a hug from a child who tells you they
want (fill in the blank, although most wanted iPhones)
and how happy they are to have you come visit their
city…it leaves you at a loss for words.
Perhaps the most meaningful takeaway from being
Santa was being able to tap into my inner childhood
while remembering that faith and hope are two foundations
to build upon, not just for Christmas. Adulthood
and the trappings that come with it slowly erode the
wide-eyed optimism I saw from the parents and children
lined up waiting to take a picture with me. That’s
a feeling we should all desire to embrace in our daily
lives to the point where we should make the time to
do so.
To Chris, Amy, Terri, Mayor Bobby Hocking and the
employees at the city of La Marque, along with those
who attended on Wednesday, I say Thank you. The
pleasure was all mine.
God willing, come next October, I hope I’ll be asked
to return. I can tell you right now my answer would be
an emphatic “Yes!”
