City to Honor a Santa Who Children Can Believe In

The end of the holiday season is always a little sad for Max Townsend as he puts away his Santa suit for another year.

It was nearly 50 years ago that he first rented a $9 Santa suit and visited a group home for special needs kids. Now, Townsend visits children in hospitals, churches, schools, homes, orphanages each year. And for the last few years he has been a staple at the annual Yorkville event.

“A high school buddy of mine had a cousin there and he said, ‘I think you’d make a good Santa Claus,’” said Townsend, of Stickney. “I still have the suit in my closet.”

He found he enjoyed playing Santa so much that once he got out of the service a few years later, he decided to make it a holiday ritual. And he takes his time talking with the kids he meets.

“I ask they how they’re doing and give them a candy cane,” he said. “I used to do the malls, but I don’t anymore. This way, I can spend more time with the kids.”

When he’s asked his age by the children he meets, Townsend, 64, tells them he’s 127.

“Or I’ll say, ‘I’m older than your grandfather and grandmother,’” he said. “And they’ll tell me, ‘Then you’re really old.’”

His beard, which he’s had for more than 40 years, lends itself well to his holiday fun.

“When I came home from the service I started growing it out,” Townsend said. “I’ve only shaved it completely off once or twice. But it grows back longer and whiter.”

Surprisingly, he said it’s the parents who are more interested in tugging on it.

“More parents than kids want to see if it’s real,” Townsend said.

He doesn’t charge for being Santa, but instead asks people to make donations to different charities. If he does receive money, he works with his nephew, an accountant, to make sure it gets donated.

While he has several photo albums and scrapbooks filled with pictures of him and the children he’s met through the years, there is one scrapbook that is a little more meaningful to him.

“It’s a special one I have for all the kids that have passed away,” Townsend said.

When talking about those children, Townsend chokes up a bit. Several years ago, he visited a young girl in the hospital who ended up passing away a month later.

“I went to pay my respects and the mother said, ‘I know you’re really Santa Claus, because you gave my daughter the best present she ever had.’ It was really touching,” he said.

He has battled his own health issues over the years. About six years ago, he had three heart attacks and a quadruple bypass. Last year, he had a pacemaker put in.

But all the while, he has kept up with his Santa duties.

“It doesn’t stop me,” he said. “I just keep on doing what I have to do.”

This month, the will present Townsend with a plaque honoring him for his service to the children and families in the community through the event. The recognition will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 24.

While Townsend is honored, he said he doesn’t do it for the recognition.

“It’s the smiles on the kids faces,” he said. “And letting them believe in Santa Claus, because there’s not much they can believe in.”