At home in the off season, Ed Taylor is an Internet marketing consultant. But when the snow flurries fly and the silver bells toll, he becomes jolly old St. Nicholas.
A dead-ringer for the real man in red, Santa Ed is hearty, warm and charming. With winter white hair and a beard, rosy red cheeks and a twinkle in his eye, his holiday “ho, ho, ho” is enough to convince you he’s just flown down from the North Pole on a sleigh.
“I love putting smiles on faces and I love the spirit of Christmas – the spirit of reaching out, the spirit of thinking of others and then taking it a step further and touching them with a gift or a greeting,” Santa Ed told the Palisadian-Post.
A true believer in the spirit of the season, Santa Ed believes that often times a smile or kind word are the greatest gifts of all.
“We reach out with what we can,” he said.
One of the ways Santa Ed reaches out is by bringing the spirit of Christmas each time he puts on the famous red suit – which he has been doing for 10 years.
“I continue to do this year after year to bring smiles, to ignite imagination and to inspire hope,” he said. “I also do it for me; I feel like I’m contributing to the joy of the season, I feel part of a continuing legacy of love, peace, joy and charity.”
Splitting their time between Oregon and California, Santa Ed and Mrs. Claus (who sometimes goes by the name of Lori) have appeared in full form for Lakers games, Clippers games, at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, for Mattel Toys and more. This holiday season, Santa Ed can also be seen starring in a festive Band-Aid commercial.
The pair said they enjoy bringing smiles to faces of all ages, appealing to large and small groups of believers ranging from special needs children, to pre-school through high school children and to senior citizens.
To find out how to make Santa Ed part of your holiday season, visit www.santaed.com.
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