Greetings From Santa Claus

Santa Claus is one of the busiest and most sought after men on the planet. With over 1.9 billion children in the world to visit in one night, he is making his list and checking it twice. Thankfully, he has help.

Robert Newcomb is Central Arkansas’s Santa Claus. A Little Rock native and 1968 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Robert received his law degree from American University and began practicing law in 1973. As a civil and criminal defense attorney Robert was used to tackling challenging tasks, until his daughter Bailey’s 3rd grade teacher asked him to be Santa Claus at the school Christmas party.

“After that, it took on a life of its own,” he said. “People just kept asking me to do it.” Robert did not seek out to play Mr. Kringle, the role found him and he’s embraced it with open arms. “I’ve had a white beard, white hair, blue eyes and I’ve been a bit overweight for 25 years. It wasn’t intentionally done, it just happened.”

A Real Life Santa Claus

“Starting in December, I carry around miniature candy canes with me and I’ll usually buy around 1000 and hand them out to people” says Robert. Robert’s wife Nancy and his daughter Bailey fully embraced the second job Robert took on 25 years ago. Even his granddaughter Sydney calls him HoHo.

“One year, we were stopped at a mall in Seattle and a little boy was having a major meltdown. I got down on my hands and knees and I told him, ‘I keep a list’ and he hopped up and put his shoes back on and got in his stroller. I think the mother could have kissed me,” he said.

Throughout his 25 years as Central Arkansas’s Santa, Robert maintains his long, fluffy, white beard and he’s typically wearing something red where ever he goes. Robert and his family have traveled all over the globe, but it was not until their trip to China that they began a vacation tradition.

While walking on The Great Wall of China, Robert noticed a woman with her family wearing a Santa Claus hat. “I was wearing a red pair of shorts and she asked me if I would take a picture with her family with the hat on.” He found out the family was from The Netherlands and that they brought a Santa hat with them on family vacations to use the photos as their Christmas cards. From that moment on, he brought a Santa hat with him wherever he went.

“I’ve taken pictures with a Santa hat on in front of the Danube River in Budapest, in Prague in front of the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas and the spice market in Istanbul.” He’s also taken trips to Paris, London, Rome, Frankfurt, Cozumel and even traveled to Lisbon, Portugal and taken a photo in his hat on the most western point of the European continent.

When he’s not in the courtroom or traveling, he’s donating his time to fundraise for organizations through photography sessions with Santa or making personal visits to kids in the community who are sick or in need.

Robert has helped an incredible amount of non-profit organizations including:

Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s Breakfast with Santa and an auction item for the Miracle Ball, Ronald McDonald House, Little Rock Fire Fighters, Little Rock and North Little Rock Police, CARTI, Lighting of the State Capital, Mount Saint Mary’s, Pulaski Heights, The Anthony School, Women and Children First, Arkansas National Guard Unit, Little Rock Christmas parade and The Wolfe Street Foundation to name a few.

A Happy New Year

In October of 2013, Robert was diagnosed with skin cancer. Then in May, Robert’s cancer had returned in a lymph node at base of his skull. After 35 radiation and three chemotherapy treatments, Robert was notified this October that he is in remission.

This holiday season, Robert plans to keep a lighter Santa schedule. This month, he will celebrate 36 years of marriage with his wife Nancy and he “might take some time off” from his Santa duties he says. “I look forward to making children happy,” he says. “It gives me joy to give other people enjoyment. God gave me this appearance to give other people enjoyment and it’s my responsibility to return it.”