On a recent December evening, a white-bearded man wearing a red button-down shirt and a big red hat with a fluffy, white pom-pom on the end sat at his desk in Longmont. Santa was at work, ready to listen to the wish lists of Christmas lovers. Soon, Natalie from Oklahoma City was patched in via ham radio. The 11-year-old said she wants a hair straightener for Christmas this year, and Santa promised to bring her a surprise on Christmas Eve. But, he said, “you just have to be sound asleep — and no traps!”
John Chilson bought his first Santa Claus suit 22 years ago, after his mother passed away. She loved the color red, and when he stumbled on the costume at a Wal-mart, he thought of her and bought it on a whim. While the suit was first a hobby, it eventually became a profession and identity (Chilson prefers to go by Santa).
Last year, Santa couldn’t do any events in person because of the pandemic, so he went looking for other ways to connect with kids. He began setting up video chats via Zoom for a fee. And when the Longmont Amateur Radio Club, or LARC, invited him into the world of ham radio, he embraced the opportunity.
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