Everyone knows what Santa Claus does on Christmas Eve, but his actions the rest of the year are up for speculation. Most of the time. But in Bellefontaine, Ohio, we often know where he is because he announces it on Facebook.
Santa Claus or, as he’s known around here, Phil Forsythe, has been wishing the community “Merry Christmas” from his deck on Dushane Road for 41 years. And though he may not be able to handle the winter cold like he once could, he still can’t resist taking time out to make people smile.
“It doesn’t matter what age they are, everyone knows Santa,” Phil said.
Phil’s journey as Kris Kringle began over 50 years ago when he dressed as Santa for the Christmas program at the Bellefontaine elementary school on east Brown Avenue (called Northeastern at the time), where he taught third grade back in 1973. That led to other opportunities to visit people and bring gifts and see faces light up.
A lifetime Logan County resident, Phil grew up on a farm near Huntsville, then moved to Rushylvania after he married Jean Schneider 49 years ago. He spent his career at Bellefontaine City Schools, and though he retired in 2013, he’s still there as a regular substitute teacher.
Jean, who taught middle school math for 12 years and coached junior high girls basketball for three, is also a seamstress, and a pretty good one. She made Phil’s Santa costume over four decades ago, and he hasn’t needed another one since, thanks to her tender, loving care for the material.
For Phil, entertaining people as the “jolly old elf” has no age limit. “I’ve been Santa with preschoolers and kindergartners,” he said, “but older people like visits from Santa too. They’re tricky, though. One lady motioned for me to lean down and, when I did, she kissed me on the cheek, saying she’d always wanted to kiss Santa.”
Besides schools, Phil dresses as Father Christmas for private parties and nursing homes, particularly Homestead at Logan Acres, where he’s worked as an assistant activity director for over two years.
But it was when the family moved to Bellefontaine and built a deck on the back of their Dushane Road home that Phil truly embraced his Santa spirit. He would go out there for hours at a time, often with his daughter, Lisa, portraying one of Santa’s helpers … until it got too cold and she scurried inside.
“I’ve had busses go by, and a horse and buggy,” he said. “One weekend, when I first started keeping track, I counted 900 cars. It would get backed up, and I was afraid I’d get in trouble, but I never did.”
When he was younger, Phil could stay out on the deck for as long as four hours. Not so much anymore. On a recent night, for instance, he only lasted 40 minutes and, he added, “I almost had frostbite. I’m 73, and I just can’t go until 11 anymore.”
Fortunately, there’s such a thing as Christmas in July and similar warmer opportunities to play St. Nick. And he has other characters in his repertoire, like playing a panda with a big red heart on Valentine’s Day and the Easter bunny at egg hunts. Jean made those costumes too.
Still, at this time of the year, Phil braves the cold to bring warmth into people’s lives. One particular treat is seeing his students drive by, then, years later, bring their own children to wave at Santa. For one former third-grade student, though, it was a chance to set things right.
Now an adult, the young man was driving around town with friends and they passed Dushane Road. When he found out Santa was Mr. Forsythe, he asked them to pull over.
“He came up to me and said, ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t a good student,’” Phil shared. “I asked if he had some time. When he said yes, I went in and got his grade book.”
Yes, Phil’s the kind of teacher who hangs onto grade books so he can show students they weren’t as bad as they thought they were. Which is a pretty Santa-like thing to do. And just what some kids might need to get moved to the nice list.
Families are welcome to contact Phil to play Santa for their children, even online, if that’s easier. Plus he’s been known to send letters and cards through Santa Claus, Indiana, so it looks more legit. Basically, Phil’s just always up for making someone’s day a little brighter.
He’s particularly impressed by the kindness and generosity of the Bellefontaine community and feels blessed to live here. With that in mind, he thinks his town being named the Christmas Capitol of Ohio is very appropriate.
Phil admits he was inspired to put on the red suit by Willie Yoder from West Liberty, who played the part for 50 years. Though he never imagined he’d be at it this long, Phil has no plans to retire any time soon. And he now hopes to inspire other people to make a difference in the lives of those around them. That’s the kind of thing he thinks is important.
“I don’t get paid and I wouldn’t want to,” he concluded. “It’s lots of fun to make people happy.”