I didn’t plan on being Santa. A coworker brought a suit to our holiday party and asked if I’d wear it. I said sure, figured it’d be a one-time thing. It wasn’t.

Now every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’m somewhere in the red suit — hotel lobbies, toy drives, brunches, pet photo nights. Families come back every year. Some kids bring me drawings. Some take years to warm up. A lot of the adults are just as excited, if not more. I’ve had folks recognize me months later just from the beard and grin. That always makes me laugh.

I don’t charge for appearances. If someone offers, I ask them to donate to the food shelf or Toys for Tots. Restaurants have tried to pay me. One gave me hotel gift certificates so I could pass them along to someone who needed them.

I carry little Santa coins in my pocket. A while back, a coworker called me in a panic — her son didn’t think Santa could find him while they were traveling. I put on the suit and drove over to New York to surprise her son at a skating rink. I handed him a coin, and said, “Put this on your nightstand on Christmas Eve. I’ll know where to go.” His whole face lit up. I still think about that one.

My wife says I become a different person in the suit. Maybe I do. People treat you differently. Strangers start talking. People smile more. I see folks reconnect at events who haven’t caught up in years. Moments like that are rare these days. But in this role, for a little while, you feel like the center of something that still brings people together.

Being Santa isn’t about the costume, it’s about connection. And in a season that can feel rushed and commercial, that’s a gift worth giving.

Ken Bell is the director of patient access and revenue cycle applications at UVM Health. He has been with us since 2011.