| Here comes Santa Claus and his better half |
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| Tuesday, December 22, 2009 | ||||||
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By KEN BECK In the past two decades no jolly fellow in Lebanon has had his snowy-white beard tugged by as many children as has Gene Dickson.
By KEN BECK In the past two decades no jolly fellow in Lebanon has had his snowy-white beard tugged by as many children as has Gene Dickson. “Just about every kid of any age will pull my beard. A baby will really pull it. They want to see that it’s real,” said Gene, 76, who has had the white whiskers covering the sides of his face and chin for 19 years. The beard measures about 7 inches long, while flowing white hair cascades down the sides of his head. Dickson definitely has the tools necessary to say “Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!” and listen to children share their requests for Christmas gifts. Along with his naturally white beard, Dickson possesses a bit of girth and a jolly disposition, and he wears a red jacket trimmed with fake white fur, red pants, a black belt, black boots, white gloves and his “magic glasses” that hold no lens. Dickson, who was born in Lebanon and grew up in Bristol, retired from the Rutherford County school system after serving as a building maintenance supervisor for 13 years at Thurman Francis Elementary School in Smyrna. That’s where he first put on the red suit. “One of the teachers there was a freelance photographer. He said, ‘If you’ll grow the beard — you already got the fat belly — I’ve got the camera, we’ll make some money.’ I went out and bought a $21 suit, and when it come to Christmas time, I couldn’t find him,” Dickson said. “So I played Santa in some of the classrooms at Thurman Francis and some other schools, and over years it just built up from there.” For 10 years Dickson served as Santa at Green Hills Mall, and last year he worked a grueling stretch at Hickory Hollow Mall. He also models for photos with master photographer Alan Griggs in Nashville. Gene’s wife of 51 years joined him almost from the beginning when they played a special benefit for a gospel music group in Hendersonville in the early 1990s. “They requested that he have a Mrs. Santa, and he came home and said, ‘Get a dress ready.’ I enjoy and it and have been Mrs. Santa Claus in the Lebanon Christmas parade for six years,” said Martha, who grew up in Bristol and met Gene there on a blind date. What she likes best about her role are the smiles on the kid’s faces when they walk up to the couple. “I noticed while riding on the fire truck in the Lebanon Christmas Parade how the people were smiling. I know these are tough economic times for a lot of families, and perhaps he and I made them forget their problems for a moment or two, and that’s what Christmas is about: love, peace and joy,” said Martha, who has worked for the past two years as receptionist and interviewer for Tennessee Career Center. Gene, who served in the Army in the Korean War, also worked in the grocery business, and Martha worked for 10 years with Rutherford County schools but is proudest of her role as a mother and housewife. The couple has four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. They have resided in Middle Tennessee for 40 years, 17 of them in Lebanon, and the past five years have been on a farm outside of Lebanon. Gene estimated there are from 15 to 20 professional Santas serving the Middle Tennessee area. His strength is a genuine fondness for children and being a good listener. “I like kids. I worked in schools with kids for a long time. I guess my mind is the mind of a child. Me and kids just get along real well. I let them tell their stories and just shut up and let them talk,” he said. “I like to talk to people and meet a lot of different people and just love to hear the funny stories that kids have to tell.” “Also the sad ones,” chimed in Martha. “There was one little girl that just wanted a pillow to sleep on,” recalled Gene. “And one little girl told me, ‘All I want for Christmas is a car. Somebody came along and took my mother’s car this morning.’ I knew the car must have been repossessed. “The funniest story I heard was at Green Hills Mall from a 7-year-old girl. After visiting, she got off my lap, and her mother said, ‘Did you make Santa that promise?’ ‘No, Mama.’ ‘Well, you got to promise Santa before you get anything for Christmas.’ ‘Santa, I promise I won’t eat anymore boogers,’ she told me. “I had tears streaming down my cheeks after that and had to get up and walk away,” Gene said. This year, Dickson began the first of his 20 Santa appearances on Oct. 12. Last year, he worked 47 consecutive days at Hickory Hollow Mall from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with hour breaks for lunch and supper. Besides malls, he has chatted with children at grocery stores, churches, used car lots and other businesses. Dickson notes that a hard-working Santa can earn from $10,000 to $20,000 in two months. “I used to be his secretary,” Martha said. “I made sure his life was on schedule. I set aside October, November and December when he worked day and night the first 10 years. Anytime when people ask us to go, if we can, we will. We’re a blessed family, and we try to give back. We are especially wanted on the Sunday before Christmas.” And Gene stays prepared. He owns five Santa costumes and two real leather belts. He customizes his boots. Even when it’s not the most wonderful time of year and he is out of the costume, Dickson looks so much like Santa that folks approach him like a celebrity at restaurants or holler Ho! Ho! Ho! to him even when he’s filling up his car with gas. “It’s like being married to Elvis,” Martha said. “He never turns anyone away, no matter the circumstances, runny noses and all. All year round, people call him Santa.” There is one thing on the Lebanon’s Santa’s wish list: “I’d like to get in Macy’s Parade one time,” said Gene, who certainly has a hot line to the man who grants children their Christmas wishes. Contact writer Ken Beck at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . |
Gene and Martha Dickson suit up for the Christmas smiles on children’s faces
