He's Well-Suited for Santa

It takes a fake beard, a red suit and lots of padding to transform tall, thin Brenden Noronha into Santa.

But one thing he doesn’t have to fake: The natural ease with people.

Noronha, an 18-year-old senior, recently played Santa to area senior citizens at the holiday party at the .

He made his way from table to table, asking folks what they were eating and smiling as his beard was tweaked.

At one table, he kindly obliged when a woman wanted a kiss from Santa.

The role comes naturally for Noronha, who has worked at the Alzheimer’s unit of a nursing home. “You develop patience,’’ he said.

“I like the elderly, children, all ages,’’ he said.

Being kind-hearted helps to make a good Santa, he said. And a sense of humor helps, too.

“I have to be in France in an hour,’’ he told one table of seniors.

Noronha was born in Brazil and came to the United States at age 11. He spoke English with a thick accent and went through intensive classes to improve his English, which is now impeccable.

He also grew up with two sisters, which he said helped him develop the gift of gab.

His experiences doing mission work with Indians in Panama helped him develop a sense of compassion, he said. And the patience paid off there too: One trip required a seven-hour bus ride and a 2½ -hour boat ride.

He belongs to the Family and Community Leaders group at Grafton High. He and his fellow group members perform community service throughout the year.

While he played Santa, his fellow group members helped serve meals and chatted with participants.

His experiences and approach would make Santa himself smile.

“You have to have the willingness to go and show love to the community,’’ he said.