The Villages Daily Sun

THE VILLAGES — For nearly 30 years, Billy and Marian Kraft, residents of the Village of Santo Domingo, have helped spread the Christmas spirit by dressing up as Santa and Mrs. Claus.

It was, and is, for no reason other than to bring joy to others.

The tradition began for the Krafts while Billy was serving with the U.S. Army in Vietnam. One of the couple’s sons became very ill on Christmas Eve forcing Marian and their other two children to spend the entire evening in the local hospital’s emergency room.

“No one wants to be in the hospital for the holidays,” Marian said.

Marian wrote Billy a letter from the hospital, telling him about a Santa Claus who came through the emergency room with gift-filled stockings for the children.

“That’s when I told him that if he came back from Vietnam whole, we would go to hospitals on Christmas Eve as Santa and Mrs. Claus,” Marian said.

The two have kept her promise. They spend each Christmas Eve visiting hospitals, always bringing a Polaroid camera with them so the children can have their photos taken with Santa.

“I would tell the children, who mostly had fevers, that if they put the camera to their chest the picture would develop faster,” Marian said. “Then I would tell them, ‘Be sure to tell Mom and Dad that you saw Santa.’”

Now, years later, the couple still personify Santa and Mrs. Claus — in The Villages. They’ve been doing this for 12 years.

“The good thing is seeing the happy faces on the kids and grown-ups,” Billy said. “There are seniors who love to take pictures with us to send to their grandchildren.”

Unlike other Christmas Santas, Billy actually visited the North Pole from 1963 to 1965.

“While I was in the Army, we would fly a helicopter to Camp Century, Greenland,” he said. “It was for research and development. They wanted to see if 100 people could live there and what the ice cap sat on, which we later learned was on two big pillars. We always knew when we reached the North Pole because our compass would go around and around.”

Marian said she loves being the symbol that represents the season to the young and young at heart.

“It’s an emotional time of the year, and we are terribly blessed to be able to do this,” she said, her eyes moist. “The spirit of Christmas is giving and not expecting anything. For a brief moment, everyone believes in something.”

The Krafts as Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available for photos from 5 to 8 p.m. today during The Villages Tree Lighting Ceremony at Spanish Springs Town Square.

Azia Li Forrest is a reporter with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9069, or azia.forrest@thevillagesmedia.com.