Williamson: Seeking Santa's identity

I found out recently that it has been 39 years since anyone in eastern New Mexico has seen Santa Claus and Don Criss in the same room at the same time.

I’m not going to inch my way out to the end of an ice-covered limb here and announce that Don Criss IS Santa Claus, but I’m suspicious.

Betty Williamson

A bit of good news

The evidence seems to be mounting. For instance, Don Criss has been with KENW-TV at ENMU for 41 years, where he’s the director of production services. Production services, people. Is there any bigger production than Christmas?

Criss’ wife, Paula, swears she has never been Mrs. Santa Claus, but she does profess to have expertise in the areas of costuming, scheduling, and transportation, all of which could be quite useful for the spouse of a jolly old elf.

And is it merely a coincidence that Don met his wife Paula when they were both theatre majors at ENMU? Even Don admits that, “Good Santas must be actors,” and he has legions of documented appearances all over the High Plains as Johnny Appleseed, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Teddy Roosevelt. Would it be that much of a stretch to wardrobe up in a fluffy red suit every December and hitch up a sleigh?

The list of places where Don Criss and Santa have never been spotted simultaneously is long, and includes the Portales Mayor’s Christmas tree, the Portales Christmas light parade, the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home, the New Mexico Christian Children’s Home, the annual Breakfast with Santa at the Portales Public Library, and schools in Dora, Floyd, Portales, and Clovis.

If she was married to Santa, Paula speculates that it would “add an extra dimension to the hustle and bustle of the holidays,” and suggests that her family might “have to forgo some of the events and celebrations that take place in December” because Santa’s schedule would have to come first.

I’ve secretly wondered for a long time, and that was even before I was driving past the Criss home one afternoon and saw—with my very own eyes and in broad daylight—Santa Claus walking out into the driveway and getting into a car.

As he takes off at warp speed tonight for his annual rounds, Santa probably won’t be in the mood to answer questions. So I’ll leave it at this: If Don Criss isn’t Santa, I hope they meet some day. I think they’d like each other.

Betty Williamson wonders what Don’s favorite cookies are, just in case. You may reach her at [email protected].