Tom Dubreuil is the Christmas City’s Santa Claus, a role he takes on each holiday season through the Downtown Bethlehem Association. Separately, he owns and operates Dear Santa, a year-round Christmas shop on Main Street.
My wife and I moved to Bethlehem in 1997 from upstate New York to work at Lehigh University. At the time, I’m not sure we knew that Bethlehem was the “Christmas City.”
Bethlehem adopted the “Christmas City” name on Dec. 7, 1937, at a ceremony during the Great Depression. I know we weren’t aware that the city was christened as Bethlehem on Christmas Eve of 1741 by Nicolaus Zinzendorf, a Moravian bishop. And we definitely didn’t know that in 1747, Bethlehem was the first documented location in the United States to have a decorated Christmas tree.
My wife and I know all of this now because, during my years living in Bethlehem, I have become Santa Claus.
For the past six years, I’ve had the honor of being Bethlehem’s Santa Claus — attending tree lighting ceremonies, posing for photos outside Hotel Bethlehem and hosting Santa storytimes for children. I also run a year-round Christmas shop called Dear Santa on Main Street, which I opened after retiring from 34 years of working in higher education.
When I worked at Lehigh, my son was enrolled at the university’s child care center. Every year, Ozzie Breiner, who worked in residential services, dressed up as Santa for the yearly Christmas party.
Before I knew it, my son was in kindergarten, and Ozzie passed the torch to me.
At that time, I was simply a happy, chubby man who fit the suit and threw on a fake Santa beard.
I took on this role each year until I left Lehigh for another job, thinking that my career as Santa was done.
Years later, while I was working at Penn State Lehigh Valley, an alumni family Christmas party was looking for a Santa Claus. I knew the role, could grow a real beard (with a fake beard as a backup) and thought it’d be fun.
Well, it turned out to be more than fun. It was amazing. To see the smile on childrens’ and parents’ faces was incredible. To see little ones suddenly become shy and forget what they wanted for Christmas was too cute. To answer questions about reindeer, elves and Mrs. Claus was magical.
After that, I immersed myself in the world of Santa. I joined Santa Facebook groups, went to Santa school (yes, that is a real thing!) and bought a handmade, personalized suit. I started to market myself as the “Christmas City Santa.”
Within a year, I was booked for about 50 home visits and country club brunches. Soon after, I was asked to be Santa for the city of Bethlehem.
Being Santa in the Christmas City is second only to being Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
If you haven’t crossed the Lehigh River and come to Historic Bethlehem at Christmas time, you are missing out. Starting the weekend before Thanksgiving, Historic Bethlehem is magical.
The streets are covered with Christmas lights. Christmas music plays up and down the street. The beautiful tree near the library is lit and stunning. Horse-drawn carriages travel up and down the streets. Hotel Bethlehem is decorated to the nines.
Main Street looks like it has been taken straight from a Hallmark movie. In fact, Bethlehem was named a Hallmark Holiday Town a year ago.
The most wonderful part is the spirit that flows through the city, the residents and the visitors. People are friendlier and more patient with each other. Smiles come a little easier. Laughter rises above the chatter. Wishes of “Merry Christmas” can be heard up and down the street.
Part of me thinks that what makes Bethlehem special, especially at Christmas, is the pride that residents have of being the Christmas City. Bethlehem isn’t just a tourist town — it’s a town full of history.
Bethlehem residents love to tell you about the city and its history — whether it’s the fact many of the founding fathers visited and stayed at the Sun Inn or that the Moravian settlement in Bethlehem has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its cultural significance.
The other part of me thinks that what makes Bethlehem special is the people from all around the world who visit here.
As Santa and a small business owner, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many of these visitors who fall in love with the quaintness and friendliness of everyone they run into. I often hear, “I’ve never been here before, but I’m definitely coming back.”
That says a lot.
If you haven’t explored Historic Bethlehem, now is the time to do so.
While you’re there, you’ll see me, dressed as Santa, sitting outside of Hotel Bethlehem every Saturday from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day from 1 to 5 p.m. During your visit, be sure to tell me what’s on your Christmas wishlist and what you love about Bethlehem.
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