By Ken Lay
The Christmas spirit came to life on Wednesday as Santa and Mrs. Claus visited the Lawson-McGhee Library in Downtown Knoxville.
The jolly elf and his wife were perched on a couch in the children’s room at the library, taking some late-season requests to grant Christmas wishes.
For this Santa and his wife, donning the red suits is a labor of love. Santa is David Raborn and Mrs. Claus is David’s wife, Beth.
Together, the couple runs Scruffy City Santa, a venture that the Raborns started five years ago when David bought a Santa Claus suit off Amazon.
“This is my fifth year doing this and to me, it’s all about the kids,” David said. “I bought a full suit, beard, boots and all, and I put it on right out of the Amazon box, and I figured that if I used it twice and gave it away, it would pay for itself.”
David didn’t relinquish his Santa suit.
Five years later, Scruffy City Santa is still making the rounds in Knoxville and surrounding areas. It’s a labor of love for both David and Beth, who begin booking appearances in March and keep the holiday spirit rolling until the beginning of the New Year.
“We start the weekend before Thanksgiving, and we make at least one appearance every day,” David said. “I finally get a day off on the fourth or fifth of January.”
Beth serves as the business manager, keeping the couple’s holiday appearances straight.
“We start booking in March,” she said.
Their holiday season begins just after Halloween when the couple decorates their house.
“If we don’t get our Christmas decorations up by November 1, it’s not going to get done,” David said.
When David decided to become Santa, he said he did so out of necessity.
“For me, this was kind of a God thing,” David said. “I work in the media, and I see some of the worst things.
“I wanted to do something positive.”
David knew he was destined to be Santa early on.
“One time, I saw a 4-year-old girl, and I saw the look and the wonder in her eye, and for that brief time and in that brief encounter, I was Santa,” he said. “This truly brings joy to my life.
“I know that I get far more from (kids) than they do from me.”
