By Emily Lewis
Freelancer
Santa Claus is trading the evergreen trees of the Pacific Northwest to live amongst the cacti in Arizona.
The vast majority of Enumclaw locals were unaware the jolly old elf vacationed in their midst – for obvious reasons. But his ties to the Plateau actually go way back to when his some relations homesteaded here from Finland in the early 1900s. Here, Santa goes by the alias Steve Fant.
Santa started performing his Christmas duties in Enumclaw in 2010. He became a staple in the Christmas parade down Cole Street and participated in photo appearances around town. In 2023, he greeted over 1,800 children, posed for photos, and heard their Christmas wishes. The youngest person he saw last year was two weeks old, and the oldest person was 103.
He loves them all.
“The little kids and even the older kids are just so absolutely wonderful, and they have so many stories,” Santa said. “I tell the mothers, ‘I know more about your family than you care to believe.’ I know all the good things and the bad things, and I tell the little kids how to get through them.”
Santa said one of his best memories was when a little boy, dressed as a cowboy, sat on his lap and shared a unique Christmas wish.
“He said, ‘Santa, we’re poor. My dad needs a job.’ I said, ‘ok, we’ll see what Santa can do.’”
A couple hours later, the father of the cowboy called the location where Santa was taking photos and asked what his son wanted for Christmas.
“… ‘Sir, to be truthful with you, your son wants a job for his dad.’” Santa said. There was “dead silence,” on the line, until the father said he had experience working in warehouses.
Santa made a few calls, and the father had a job within a week.
“That’s what’s so awesome about it. Reaching out to people,” Santa said tearfully. “It’s just been a really rewarding part of my life for both my wife and I. It’s so rewarding, that it’s just so hard to describe.”
A helper at heart, Santa’s compassion for others doesn’t stop around Christmas time. After relocating to Yuma, he heard of two Arizona women without power, so he located the part needed to solve the issue.
“That’s what I love doing, helping people no matter where I’m living,” Santa said. “Praise God, it just makes my day.”
A baseball fan, Santa said he was invited by friends years ago to experience the Mariners’ spring training in Arizona. That’s when he fell in love with Yuma.
Year after year, this vacation was one he looked forward to after he and his team of reindeer successfully completed their journey of bringing joy to children across the globe.
“I’m telling you, Arizona is just absolutely beautiful,” Santa said.
Now that he’s spending more time in the Southwest, the transition to a warmer climate means Santa has to make some changes to his appearance. Once all the gifts are delivered, he tucks away his famous red suit, sewn by Mrs. Claus (alias Sharon Fant), in favor of summer attire. Beating the heat also means sporting a new look, one which would make him nearly unrecognizable to elves and his reindeer.
“I’m already missing at not having my beard,” Santa said, adding he’s growing out again soon.
Although Santa has moved to Arizona, don’t worry — he and his helpers will be back for the holidays. Photo by Lauren Lilly / laurenlillyphotography.com
He’s noticed he’s not the only person that flies south to Arizona, either as snowbirds or permanently. Even when he’s not in his famous red suit, Santa said he’s been spotted by others from South King County.
“You can’t believe the amount of people from Enumclaw, Buckley, Bonney Lake, Black Diamond, Auburn all over that are here. Wow,” Santa said.
As a toy-builder and gingerbread house constructor, it’s of no surprise Santa built his Arizona home using his experience as an Air Force civil engineer (even ol’ St. Nick needs some training).
Of course, Santa didn’t do it on his own. He had help from Mrs. Claus to design the house, and his team of elves hung the sheetrock. When the house was finished, an inspector elf came by to check it off, noting the quality construction.
“They come in, and I can hear them laughing. I said, What are you guys laughing about? They go, ‘Santa, this is the straightest house we’ve ever seen,’’’ Santa said. “’You tell Mrs. Claus to move in this afternoon, because this is the most gorgeous house I’ve seen in two years.’”
When it comes to house designs, Santa explained that chimneys are uncommon in Yuma, but he has a workaround when he’s delivering gifts, crediting his experience working with Washington State firefighters as a fire chief. He also trained wildland firefighters for the Department of Natural Resources and knows how to spot a safe fireplace before sliding down with his bag full of gifts.
“I have a light and shine it down. If it doesn’t look safe, I go through the front door,” Santa said.
Elves may be busy performing maintenance on the sleigh and wrapping gifts this time of year, but they made a special trip to help Mrs. Claus decorate the Yuma house for the holiday season. His neighbors were surprised to see a glittery Christmas tree adorned with sparkly ornaments already standing in the home.
“They asked, ‘where did you get that Christmas tree? It looks real.’ I said, ‘I went up in the mountains here in Arizona, and cut it down,’” Santa chuckled. “‘Where in Arizona did you cut a live tree?’ They laughed, and I said, ‘No I picked it out. It’s special.”
Back at the North Pole, operations are in full swing with Christmas just a few weeks away. Soon enough he will make his way back to the Pacific Northwest. Santa wants to remind folks to leave out his favorite cookie, chocolate chip, and a glass of milk. Contrary to some depictions in movies, he is not lactose intolerant.
“I tell people, don’t forget carrots for the reindeer,” Santa said.
