Each year in October, Mr. Mickey lets his beard and hair start to grow out so that he will look more like the “real” Santa. He has a significant reason to forgo the usual pristine grooming for a short time. He portrays Santa at an event that is very close to our hearts.
More than a decade ago, our dear friend Tony Seaton started buying school clothes, shoes, a coat, and a toy for disadvantaged pre-school children in our area. He asked Mickey to be Santa on the special day when lunch is provided for the children and their parents or guardians. “Santa” tells them a story and visits with each child to give them a big bag of gifts selected just for them with the help of their teachers. Over the years, more of our friends have joined in to help with this project. This particular day is the highlight of the Christmas season for us. We are honored and humbled to be a part of it. Thank you, Tony Seaton, for all that you quietly do for our community.
I snapped the photos above so that we could share our magical day with you.
I always look forward to this post, Susan! Such a wonderful thing to do! Merry Christmas!
That little baby in Santa’s arms is darling!
This is the best post ever!
If you ever get tired of Mr. Mickey, send him to me in California! ❤️
Merry Christmas to both of you!
How lovely that you and Mr. Mickey can be part of this. His expression is wonderful, and the happy hugs from the children are priceless (not to mention that sleeping baby!).
She is only one month old. Her beautiful mother is one of the teachers at the school.
Those Santa pics are awesome…..I believe Santa is enjoying that as much as the cute children. Thanks for sharing. You look beautiful, as always❣️
Sweetest pictures of kids with Santa EVER!
Heartwarming…thank you!
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. What a nice thing for MM to do. It must be very gratifying.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who would like to make a small monetary donation to this wonderful program – how can we do so?
Thank you for your kind offer to also help. Donations can be made to, The Santa Project, Law Offices of Tony Seaton, PLLC, 118 E Watauga Ave, Johnson City, TN 37601
Have you thought about setting up a Go Fund Me page for this? That would make it so easy and I am sure more people would contribute to this wonderful cause.
I encourage everyone to find a similar project or start one of your own in your part of the world. The magic of Christmas is best seen through the eyes of a child. Even if you can only help one child, you can make a difference.
Well said. Thank you and Mr. Mickey for helping your community. Merry Christmas to you and Mr. Mickey!
…the smiles & the hugs & the obvious J❤️Y …priceless!
Susan, these are heart felt pictures. A wonderful reminder of the reason for giving this season. Thank you both!! Merry Christmas 🙂
Bless you and every single person who are kind to children.
I love Santa. Especially when Santa is Mr.Mickey! He makes the perfect Santa. Not so much for his appearance, but for his tender heart for these children. The expressions on his face show how much he loves doing this. You captured some priceless moments in these beautiful pictures! God bless you both and Mr.Seaton for giving to those less fortunate. That is the true spirit of Christmas. Merry Christmas Susan!
Susan, thank you so much for sharing these pictures each Christmastime! Those kids look so happy and what a wonderful thing to do for them.
Mr. Mickey makes a wonderful Santa!!! The photos are adorable! Such a kind and generous gift of giving you all are doing. Merry Christmas to you and Mr. Mickey!!
Heartwarming! Thanks for sharing, Susan.
Such precious pictures! Thank you for giving and sharing!
Fabulous!
Absolutely fabulous!!
Thanks for sharing.
Mr Mickey makes a totally authentic Santa.
What a beautiful initiative, too. In Britain we have 52 Lives run by Jaime Thurston. It’s been my pleasure to buy books ( sent via Amazon) including 1 from each grandchild.
A very happy Christmas to you both.
Precious memories for those beautiful children. Thank you.
Those precious faces! What a blessing to your community! Merry Christmas to you two!
Beautiful story! Thank you for sharing and all you do.
Merry Christmas.
xo
You and Mr.Mickey are beautiful people inside and out. Thank you for sharing.
Aww those pictures of your adorable Santa hugging those sweet children really bring on the wet eyes. Mr.Mickey is a great Santa you can see he loves it too…bless you both!
Oh, such sweet photos. What a lovely thing to do.
Thank you for helping to bring true joy to the season. Those pictures are priceless.
You and Mr Mickey are always so busy. Yet you always do a wonderful job on your blog. Helen
Beautiful
Your blog today is one of many reasons you are now the only blogger I follow. Thank you for sharing a beautiful Christmas story with us. Mr. Mickey is the quintessential Santa! The beard and suit are wonderful, but the joy in his eyes tells of the love in his heart. Beautiful. The happiness in those little faces is all the proof anyone needs that “yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”. Blessings to Mr. Mickey and all who are dedicated to making sure everyone is remembered.
“…..and all who are dedicate to making sure everyone is remembered” Yes! even the one who the season is all about. God Bless & merry Christmas
Who says Santa Claus is not real?!
What a wonderful thing yiu all do. Those children look so happy and thrilled to see Santa. God bless the little children.
Those pictures were the sweetest ever!! May you always be in good health to continue this wonderful tradition!
Beautiful, Susan! Merry Christmas and many blessings to you and Mr. Mickey. You are very special, wonderful people who share so many good things with people. Thank you.
These pictures are priceless!!
Thank you both for giving of your heart. You each hold a very special place in mine.
Merry Christmas Susan and Mr. Mickey!
Love ❤️ what Mr Mickey does for this. He makes the best Santa ever
What a wonderful, loving thing that Mr. Seaton and Mr. Mickey do! This sort of thing embodies the meaning of the season. We get so focused on all that needs to get done for the holidays, that sometimes it’s easy to forget that there are others who do not have the means – thank you for the reminder!
I always get a little emotional when I read this post. It is so special to have Mr. Mickey as a wonderful authentic looking Santa. And then there is the giving to those sweet children in your community. Anyway it is very heart warming. Bless you and your friends!
very sweet. thanks for sharing. jos
I LOVE this wonderful way of celebrating the season by sharing with those in need!! Mr. “Santa” looks great and so do you!!
Lovely pictures. Its a wonderful undertaking you do each year God bless you in your efforts. I know the children were blessed to have the Real Santa at their party. Wishing you a wonderful holiday to you and your families.
Mr. Mickey IS the real Santa! Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos.
The photos of Santa with the children brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful day! Thank you for sharing it with us.
So much love shared in each photo!xx
Mr Mickey and yourself make a wonderful mr and mrs Claus. All the children look absolutely smitten.
Oh, how very special. What a wonderful thing to go for these precious children.
Merry Christmas to you and Mr. Micky.
PS I read your blog every single day and love it.
I would say that you got the best Gift of all! You won the heart of Santa Claus. These pictures are beautiful.
Mr. Mickey rocks as SANTA ! You are so lucky to have Mr. Mickey in you life ! He seems like a great guy ! Hope you two have a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year !
Love, love, love this! What a wonderful thing to do–kudos to Tony Seaton and to you and Mr. Mickey, who makes a great Santa…and you are definitely a most beautiful “elf.”
What wonderful pictures. Mr. Mickey looks like a kind and loving Santa. Merry Christmas.
It takes a special person to go to great lengths to be a genuine Santa. What a special person Mr Mickey is…
I love this! Mr Mickey makes a perfect Santa, and what a wonderful cause!!!
That is awesome what you are doing for those kids. You look gorgeous as always Susan.
Phyllis
What a wonderful, giving ministry for Mr. Mickey aka Santa!
And thank you for the lovely Christmas card and CD! What a delightful surprise 🙂 I have so enjoyed shopping with Susanafter60.com, reading your blog, and perusing the websites and marvelous suggestions and discounts that you share!
Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Warmly ~ Robin F.
What a wonderful thing to do! Mr. Mickey certainly looks like Santa and, no doubt, adds magic to these kids’ Christmas. It’s a nice way to fill your hearts with joy. Bless you all and merry Christmas
Denise C., Banning, CA
Mr. Mickey makes an incredible looking Santa. Your photos are precious!
The photos brought tears to my eyes
Heartwarming! Merry Christmas!
Mr. Mickey is a very sweet man; you are lucky to have him in your life.
My organization here in Chicago (CGS) does a similar collection for Toys For Tots.
Warmest Holiday Season to you and Mr. Mickey.
Fondly,
Katie Thomas
Mr. Mickey makes a wonderful Santa! Kudos to Mr. Seaton for starting this generous program. Merry Christmas to you too, Susan, with thanks for this interesting blog. Ann Lee, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
ps have you ever tried Seaside, Fl?
Love this.
This is the true meaning of Christmas Thank you so much for sharing the wonderful and uplifting post today.
Merry Christmas to you and Mr. Mickey and best wishes for a happy ,healthy New Year.
Seeing the sweet joy you two bring to children,gives us a glimpse of your beautiful heart’s. Thanks for sharing.
How sweet. It just blessed my heart and brought tears to my eyes to see the smile on “Santa’s” face with the precious little ones. Equally blessed to see the children’s hugs and happiness to visit with him.
You two are amazing. Mr. Mickey is the perfect Santa! You are both great blessings to our community. Thank you for doing this each year. Count me in for next year! I’ll be happy to help in any way I can. Love you both! See you at the concert tonight!
This is exactly the spirit of Christmas — giving, sharing, open hearts. Mr. Mickey makes such a fabulous Santa Claus. What a wonderful event and the photos are absolutely precious and heartwarming. Thanks for sharing and inspiring all of us.
What a wonderful post ! May your kindness and generosity come back to you a hundredfold! Merry Christmas!
God bless Mr. Mickey. And Susan you looked beautiful in the red tunic.
What special moments. Christmas is truly a season of giving. Mr. Mickey makes a perfect Santa.
Mr. Mickey gets a lot of sweet hugs and love, and I can see he is full of love to give to these children. It is a great reciprocal event! Love to you and Mr. Mickey during this time of the year. Thanks for giving so much to these adorable children!
Peace and Blessings,
Diane McDaniel
Such a wonderful way to share the magic of Christmas xx
I love it. God bless. Hope you have a beautiful Christmas!
God bless you both for providing a wonderful memory for these children. Mr. Mickey makes a great Santa! Merry Christmas!
I love this feature in your blog each December. Just seeing Mr. Mickey aka Santa and the beautiful smiling children warms my heart. You have an amazing companion in Mr. Mickey, and the two of you make a superb couple.
Merry Christmas, Susan and Mr. Mickey.
wonderful people who organise this event and the children are so lovely
Oh my goodness, this is so beautiful. What a fantastic thing for Mr Mickey and his friends to do. You’ve got a real treasure there Susan. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Susan, I have been following your blog for over a year but this is my first reply. I love your blog. I have recommended your blog to many of my friends and they also think you are amazing. I have tried to apply many of your ideas into my wardrobe and life.
This post truly shows yours’ and Mickey’s character even more so. You are truly a giving couple who are generous with your time and love. These pictures are beautiful. And both of you are accomplished photographers also. Your photos are captivating. I wish I lived closer to your area to attend one of your seminars. Always so informative. Thank you for your generosity.
Beautiful story. Wish I live where you live or close to. I’d love to meet you. You are inspiring. I am 73 yrs young and recently became a widow. Miss my husband so much but he had a great attitude towards life which he passed on to me. Merry Christmas to you and Mr. Mickey!
I’m sorry for your loss Nancy. Thank you for your kind words.
The smiles of the children say it all!!!
Beautiful – I felt emotional just looking at the pics. Such a lovely event to be part of. Good on you both
Fabulous photos! Looks as if a good time was had by all! Such a great contribution to the community. Wishing you and Mr Mickey many blessings and a Merry Christmas!
Love the photos!!!! And the love behind this is heaven sent. I am fortunate to get to see Santa aka Mickey every Tuesday when he comes by my work. I have known this wonderful man for ten years, every Tuesday he makes my day….I told him today God would have a special seat for him , Tony his wife and all the volunteers who do this every year…..Santa is real to me cause I know the love in his heart for these precious children……
Such a wonderful way to give back. Merry Christmas to you both.
Dear Susan,
Mr. Mickey and your friend Mr. Tony Seaton (another Santa) brought tears to my eyes! Thank you for sharing this beautiful story! Thank you for sharing the pictures with us!
Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy 2019! Love, love your very practical posts!
Marietta Winchester
Beautiful! In every way. Thank you for sharing your insight, and your love, your compassion with us.
Fabulous inspiration and validation that style never has to fade away as we reach every milestone. I love the way you think. Please keep reminding us how to feel good as we move along our life journey. You are a gift. Thanks☮️❤️