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Globe Santa is comin’ to town
"Globe Santa is nondenominational and about giving and receiving. About the magic of the holidays.”
MEDFORD — Sunday was a big day for Globe Santa.
He normally keeps a low profile, serving as the quiet symbol of the Boston Globe Foundation’s 69-year-old program that raises money to buy toys and books for children in need.
But once in a while he’ll venture out in public, and when he does, it will often be to Medford.
For years, the city has been a big Globe Santa cheerleader and booster, in large part because of a formidable service organization, the Kiwanis, which raises money for children around the world.
For 35 years, the members of the Kiwanis Club of Medford have presented Globe Santa with a generous annual donation. Since 2015, their good-will gesture has been combined with events such as a Christmas tree-lighting in Medford Square and — during the COVID-19 pandemic — a parade through the city, featuring Globe Santa waving from his perch on a fire truck, courtesy of the Medford Fire Department.
“But it was cold for the kids, and dark,” said longtime Kiwanis member and incoming president Rita Cornelio, who heads the Globe Santa fund-raising efforts and was herself a recipient of Globe Santa’s philanthropy in 1957 while growing up in the North End.
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So this year they tried something new, hosting Lunch with Globe Santa at the Great American Beer Hall on Mystic Avenue, a lively new restaurant, tap room, and event space that opened in August. Some 200 boisterous Medford babies, toddlers, and big kids showed up, plus their grownups, and each child received a slice of pizza, a drink (not beer), a cookie provided by Modern Pastry Shop, and a goody bag.
As they were assembling, there was also a flurry of activity half a mile away at the Medford Fire Station, where Globe Santa was expected to show up first. Firefighter Alec Finn and his co-workers were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the jolly fellow, with Finn strolling around the fire station, his hands in his pockets, singing “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.”
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There was a moment of panic when an alarm sounded and a fire truck got called away to an emergency. Would Globe Santa’s ladder truck be called into service too? Luckily it wasn’t, and Globe Santa arrived at the fire station in full fuzzy red regalia, with white gloves, black boots, and silver curls and beard, accompanied by Mrs. Globe Santa in a red sweater. She adjusted his slipping beard, and three firefighters boosted him into the truck.
With red lights flashing, he was whisked down Mystic Avenue to the Great American Beer Hall and greeted by hordes of excited children, many in holiday attire. The vast space — all 22,000 square feet of it — was glittering with snowmen, reindeer, giant nutcrackers, and Christmas stockings, and children were already enjoying their pizza and cookies.
Tickets to the event were free to families who had registered, and the costs were underwritten by the restaurant. “When Rita [Cornelio] asked me to host this, she had me at the first five minutes,” said co-owner Brian Zarthar, whose family has deep Medford roots. Though the beer hall aims for a vibe that is “Octoberfest meets modern-day craft tap room,” its guiding principle is bringing the community together, including young families.
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Globe Santa took his seat next to a tall Christmas tree and proceeded to boisterously greet children — every last one of them, it seemed — including a girl in holiday pajamas, an elf with curly-toed shoes, and a little boy with a stuffed dog named Pup-pup.
“This is amazing,” said Martina Sullivan, holding her 6-month-old daughter, also named Martina, who was dressed in a tiny red velvet dress with a Christmas tree on it. “Every kid got a goody bag when they entered, with some really great snacks and activities they could eat and play with while waiting for Santa.” Her 2-year-old son William “got to see Santa and do a high-five and fist bump and get a hug. He can’t stop talking about it!”
“It was a lot of kids having a lot of fun,” said Globe Santa executive director Bill Connolly, resplendent in his green Globe Santa cardigan and red tie.
Medford’s mayor, Breanna Lungo-Koehn, was there with her 10-year-old son, Kody, who had come straight from hockey practice. So was state Representative Paul Donato, a Medford Democrat “and a former foster child,” he said. His empathy and concern for children in need is one reason why he strongly supports the work of Globe Santa, said Donato, who chairs the House caucus on foster care.
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Halfway through the event, Kiwanis members gathered with Globe Santa to present a $3,200 check to Connolly.
“This was an awesome outpouring out of the city,” Connolly said. “Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa — Globe Santa is nondenominational and about giving and receiving. About the magic of the holidays.”
For 69 years Globe Santa, a program of the Boston Globe Foundation, has provided gifts to children in need at holiday time. Please consider giving by phone, mail, or online at globesanta.org.
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