I’ve often wondered how much fun people who dress up as Santa get over the holidays.
The pressure to meet the expectations of every child you see would destroy me, so it can’t be an easy job, but at the end of the day, there must be a fantastic sense of success.
All children, no matter how negative their outlook, can grin when they see a good Santa, and the knowledge that they are creating magic in a world in dire need of it must be like a comforting salve for the soul.
But few Santas have ever gone through the terrifying, deadly situation that befell Eric Schmitt-Matzen, the co-owner of Packaging Seals & Engineering and mechanical engineer who plays Father Christmas at events and performances every year.
One day in 2016, sources say, Eric had just gotten home from work when he got an urgent call from a hospital in Tennessee.
Eric informed the reporters that a nurse had called him on behalf of a five-year-old patient at the hospital who was gravely ill and whose last request was to see Santa.
Following his haste to the hospital, Eric met the boy’s mother, who gave him a Paw Patrol figure her child had specifically asked for for Christmas. In order to avoid crying in front of the child if the boy’s relatives felt angry, Eric accepted the gift and asked them to wait outside while he saw the child.
Then, in Eric’s account, he went into the intensive care unit, sat at the foot of the boy’s bed, and said, “I hear you’re not going to be around for Christmas this year.”
The child opened his present and exclaimed, “They say I’m going to die.” “How will I be able to tell when I get to my destination?”
The child was then allegedly asked to do a favor for Eric.
He said, “You just tell them you’re Santa’s Number One elf when you get up to them Pearly Gates, and I know they’ll let you in.”
The young child got up in bed and gave Eric a strong hug. Later, Eric told reporters that the five-year-old passed away in his arms.
The man added, “I felt him pass while he was in my arms.”
A CHILD WITH CANCER DIES IN SANTA’S ARMS! 🎅🏼😔🖤🎊.A sixty-year-old man who works as Santa Claus had a really sad incident.
“I saw a lot of (stuff) during my four years with the 75th Rangers in the Army.” “But I ran by the nurses’ station, crying uncontrollably.”
