This column serves as a spotlight, highlighting the everyday people who work and live in Callaway County. The Fulton Sun takes a moment to have a conversation with someone who is not usually featured in the news, but is just as instrumental in making our community the strong and beautiful place we all know and love.
Joe Baker has lived in Holts Summit for 10 years, after moving to town from Texas. He works as a Medicare/Medicaid transporter and also with the Holts Summit Fire Protection District. However, most know him as Santa Claus. For 29 years, he's been donning the red suit for parades and businesses, alongside his wife as Mrs. Claus and his daughter Allison Baker as an elf.
Q. What was your first job?
My first job I grew up in a family owned business, a furniture store in Plainview, Texas. I did customer service and sales.
Q. Who most inspires you, living or dead?
My dad. My dad's my best friend. We've just had a great life together. He taught me how to treat people and respect people.
Q. What have you done in life that was most fulfilling?
The most fulfilling is making people smile and happy, as Santa. I started out 29 years ago at Walmart doing it four nights a week. One night I had this grandmother come in and she asked the photographer, "Can I sit in Santa's lap? I have a question."
Santa said sure. She came over and sat on Santa's knee and came over close to my ear, and asked, "I need to know, could you come over to my house?"
I hadn't done that before, so I wasn't sure.
She said, "My grandkids have never had Christmas. Their mother doesn't believe in Christmas."
(We agreed on a price) and proceeded to tell me where she lived and everything. Santa went by a week later, picked up a toy and went around the corner. We'd decided that Santa would knock on the door for the kids to answer.
An 8-year-old boy, Charlie, answered the door and the first thing he did was slam the door in Santa's face. I could hear him through the door, yelling for his sister Suzie to go to the door. Suzie came to the door and does same thing. I walked in and sat on the couch, and Suzie came and sat down next to me.
She said, "If you're the real Santa, you'll know what I want for Christmas."
I said, "Suzie, you like to play with Barbies."
Her eyes got as big as silver dollars. (I pulled three Barbies out of my sack. Charlie said the same thing as Suzie.)
"Charlie, I think you need to go outside and look in the driveway," Santa said. "There's something in the driveway for you"
Sitting in the driveway is a basketball goal with a red bow on it. While he was looking at that I pulled out a basketball.
For the next five years I went back to see those two little kids.
That little boy was 13 the last time I saw him, and he still wanted to know how Santa knew how he was and how Santa got that basketball and basketball goal.
Q. What is something you are proud of that you have been recognized for?
Two years ago, I had the same opportunity that I'm having with (the Fulton Sun). I was recognized by the Callaway Electric Cooperative company in their newsletter. They took the time, and we did a photo shoot and a full-page interview with them two years ago. For 13 years, I was sent to work with kids with asthma at the American Lung Association camp. Kids have been my life. I've also participated in Shop with a Cop.
Q. What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?
I've done a lot of things in my life. You know, right now, I don't know if there's anything I want to try. I just enjoy life.
Q. What profession would you not like to do?
I don't want to go back into food service. I did food service for a long time and it's a lot of work. More work than I want to do.
Q. What is something that nobody knows about you?
You could probably say that very few know, in Mid-Missouri, that I was at preaching school in my early years - my teenage years.
Q. What is your favorite thing about Callaway County?
It's the interesting people. Callaway County is its own interesting county that I get to work in. Being on the fire department and working with the fire department and ambulance service, you meet interesting people, you meet people that need help. I get told thank you for my service all the time with the fire department.
Santa Claus Joe can be found at goo.gl/xoYnFT or reached at 573-644-4944.