Those who are driving through the community of Maryfield might have noticed a strange new resident in town.
The man in question definitely stands out in a crowd, dressed in red and trimmed with a white, flowing beard and as often as not, a sack on his shoulder.
You might have seen him strolling down the streets of the village, or perhaps speaking with someone, his sentences often punctuated with a merry sounding, 'Ho, ho, ho!'
That's right, Santa Claus has taken up digs in Maryfield.
"I love to make people happy," the incarnation of Ol' Saint Nick said. "Sometimes, when they are driving by in a car, and I am walking, I can see a change come over their face through the windshield."
"Maybe they had a bad day at work, or maybe they are worried about bills or something like that," Santa continued. "But once they see me, well, they just brighten up."
"Their smiles shine right through the window."
Santa, in his alter-ego of Patrick McKeen, recently relocated to Maryfield along with his wife Lillian, after many years living in the city of Winnipeg.
"The time seemed right to relocate," McKeen said. "This area seemed to be really nice, and so we packed up and moved out here."
McKeen took on the persona of Santa Claus the first time almost five-years ago.
"Our son had a Santa costume, and wasn't able to make an engagement," Lillian said. "So Pat decided he would help out. But once he had gotten into the suit, and had a chance to be Santa, well, he was hooked."
Lillian and Pat had worked for years delivering the Winnipeg newspaper throughout their former community.
"Pat would dress up to do the deliveries when Christmas got close," Lillian said. "The customers loved it, and so did any kids he ran into along the way."
McKeen admits that his work as Santa has brought him a lot of attention over the intervening years, and though he has never been paid to be Santa, he dons his regalia on a regular basis, just for the sake of spreading some good cheer.
"The world can be a hard place for people," McKeen said. "Folks can find themselves in a pinch, or under some weight in life that makes things hard to deal with."
"But when Santa Claus is around, all that weight just disappears," McKeen said. "They seem to lighten up a lot."
"It's so apparent when that happens, it's actually physical," McKeen said. "They seem to grow a little taller, and they brighten up a lot."
"That is the real reward for me."
For all of this, Lillian has had to develop a little patience with her husband.
"He would go out for a walk in his Santa outfit, and he wouldn't be back for hours," Lillian laughed. "Everyone would want to stop and talk with him, and now that everyone has cameras on their phones, they take pictures too."
"But Pat really enjoys it," Lillian said. "He comes back from his walks just as happy as can be, so I suppose I can be a little patient with him."
McKeen cuts such a striking Santa, and is so involved in his role, that it has actually led him into trouble once.
"We were dropping of some papers at a shopping mall in Winnipeg," McKeen said. "I was in costume, and all the kids started running over to me, so I spent some time with them, handed out some candy canes."
Lillian took the story from this point.
"I was watching all the kids come up to Pat, and all of the sudden, these guys came up, dressed in suits," Lillian said. "They were from the mall staff, and they asked Pat to move along."
"I guess he was doing such a good job at it, he was drawing kids from the line to see the mall's Santa," Lillian laughed. "He was out-Santa-ing their Santa Claus."
Following the visit with Santa and his wife, the two asked that The Observer share a letter from them.
"Christmas Greeting's from Santa and Mrs. Claus," the letter reads. "We wish you all to know, it's not cities we visit, but also beautiful towns."
"So smile!" the letter continues. "Santa has brought his 'Ho! Ho!' and jolly self to beautiful Maryfield and yes, all the surrounding towns."
"Anyone wishing to take pictures or just meet Santa, Ho! Ho! Just phone to make arrangements. Transportation may be needed, but other than that, there is no cost!"
Santa and Mrs. Claus can be reached at 646-4933.
If you would like to send a wish-list to Santa, he can be reached at Box 247, Maryfield, SK.
A Merry Christmas to all!
