|
 Lisa Drew shared the following words and Kathie
Williams presented Terry with the trophy. That evening Terry
proceeded to do what he does best. For over two hours, he and Wendy
greeted hundreds of cars filled with excited, smiling faces, eager
to see Santa and Mrs. Claus at The Depot.
“Is there really a Santa Claus is a question that has been asked by
many children (and some adults) for a very long time. The answer
varies from a definite yes to shock that anyone would even think of
continuing to promote what some prefer to think of as a fairy-tale
or fictional character that serves no purpose, claiming that its
effects may even be harmful to a young mind. However, in Lincoln
Illinois, this question seems to be answered in the affirmative and
in the embodiment of the character by a well-know and kind-hearted
man named Terry Bell.
The story of Terry and how he came to be known as Santa by our
community spans a period of 13 years. Roger Matson was president of
Main Street at the time and needed a Santa to flip the switch on a
giant Christmas tree on the Court House lawn. He asked Terry and at
first Terry said no, but then decided that he would do it in order
to help Roger. A family member gave him a suit that they no longer
used, and it fit.
A fake beard and black rubber boots from Big R
completed the outfit. He had not intended to keep on being Santa
but, according to Terry’s wife Wendy, after a little girl (who was
initially afraid of him) looked at him and said, “I love you,
Santa”, he was hooked.
Taking his role as Santa very seriously, the next year Terry decided
to grow his own beard but he needed a little help to keep it white.
For a while, Wendy bleached it but now she says that bleaching it is
no longer necessary. The beard is real, and it is white and just
like in the movie “The Santa Claus , his beard grows longer and
becomes whiter the closer that it gets to Christmas.
2013
2013
Terry began participating in the Lincoln Christmas
parade a few years later. Gradually, people began to know him and
recognize him as Santa. He became a member of Illinois Santas, an
association of Santas across the state, and searched out training
opportunities, the first being in Santa Claus, Indiana.
[to top of second column] |
A year after that, he went to Gatlinburg, TN for the
Santa Family Reunion. It was there that Noerr Programs, a family-run
Santa employer, asked Terry to pose for a picture. They needed a
“real bearded” Santa, someone who really portrayed Santa well. Noerr
Programs began talking with Terry and tapped him to be the Santa at
White Oaks Mall in Springfield, where he has been for the last seven
years. Terry then began attending Noerr’s Santa University in
Colorado to learn the specifics of being a Mall Santa. This year, he
attended the C W Howard Santa School to have his questions answered
regarding how to approach the issue of COVID-19 as Santa. According
to Wendy, and obvious from all of his efforts, Terry wants to be the
best possible Santa that he can be. Terry now looks so much like
Santa that he is often recognized as him, even without his Santa
suit. However, Terry’s striking resemblance to Santa’s physical
appearance is not the only thing that makes him resemble the jolly
old fellow.
Terry’s generosity of time and his caring nature make him a Santa
that is real even to his core and in his heart. He has uplifted the
spirits of many a child and given them hope for something special.
He has visited hospitals and brought smiles to the faces of sick
children, making them forget for a while that they are anything but
a child full of hope and excitement. He has participated in parades,
met with public officials, visited children in their homes for
photos, and has even been the “real Santa” to adults in our
community who would otherwise be embarrassed to admit that they,
like their children, still hold a soft spot for Santa in their
hearts.
Last year several generous donors provided toys to Terry to
distribute to children who visited him at the mall. Ironically, it
seemed every time a child asked for a specific toy, Terry had it in
his Santa Sack, surprising them with a bit of Santa magic. Terry
gave one special gift to a young boy who had suffered much loss in
his young life, although Terry did not know that at the time. Terry
simply knew that this was the right child for this particular toy,
gave it to him, and told him that he was getting this gift because
he was a good boy. The boy and his parents were so happy and
grateful. His mother wrote to Terry a few days later. She explained
that her son had been having some difficulties at school, due to the
losses in his life. But she told Terry that this gift had changed
her son’s life. He had decided that, because Santa saw the good in
him, he was always going to be good. His teacher happily reported
that he had been on “green” all week long.
Terry Bell has won the hearts of many in his role as Santa, not only
at Christmas, but throughout the year as well, due not only to his
appearance, but to his generous spirit and love for the child in
everyone, no matter their age. And isn’t that, after all, the true
meaning of who Santa is? Yes, Lincoln, Illinois, there is a Santa
Claus who makes the child-like hearts within us smile. His name is
Terry Bell.
Standing left
to right: Lisa Drew, Morgan Gleason, Tracy Welch, Roger Matson
and Kathie Williams
On Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, just before the Christmas Cruise in
Downtown Lincoln, Terry was presented with a trophy by
representatives of Downtown Lincoln, Logan County Tourism, Mayor
Tracy Welch, and Roger Matson. The trophy proclaims Terry as “the
Real Santa”, and Terry, we know that you are.”
[Cindy Smith/Lisa Drew] |
