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One man’s journey to become Santa Claus<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Even an unseasonably warm day in the Ozarks doesn\u2019t deter Greg Winters from donning his characteristic colors. The red overalls, green T-shirt and white beard let you know there\u2019s more to this man than wearing Yule colors all year.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are my casual clothes,\u201d Greg says, then smiles. \u201cBesides that, I like wearing red. It makes me feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n If you happen to see Greg while he\u2019s out and about town, you might find yourself thinking, \u201cHe looks so familiar, do I know him?\u201d His voice and demeanor seem to have a universally calming effect on nearly everyone he meets. As Greg smiles, you notice his eyes do indeed twinkle as he speaks. And his white beard and manner suggest this may indeed be the real Kringle.<\/p>\n Greg, who grew up in Michigan where \u201cthere was always snow on Christmas,\u201d knows he was meant to be Santa.<\/p>\n \u201cMy hair began turning white at my temples by age 15,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt was basically completely white by the time I was 30. I feel like nature said, \u2018This is what you\u2019ve got to do \u2014 become Santa Claus.\u2019\u2009\u201d<\/p>\n If you ask Greg how old he is now, his eyes close as he laughs and says, \u201cOlder than my hair but younger than my teeth.\u201d A perfect reply from the 67-year-old who says he\u2019s looked like he was in his 60s for decades.<\/p>\n When Greg was a senior in high school the district needed someone to portray Santa at the elementary school. The usual volunteer wasn\u2019t available, so Greg took on the gig as a way to get out of school for a day. \u201cI took the job and fell in love with it right then.\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t too many years later he began growing a beard, only to see it come in nearly all white. Feeling a bit like Tim Allen\u2019s character in the movie \u201cThe Santa Clause,\u201d Greg quit fighting the inevitable and just let it grow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_gallery gallery_ids=”13722,13720,13721,13719,13723″ _builder_version=”4.11.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_gallery][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.11.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n After high school he ended up in Fort Smith, Arkansas working for the Gerber company as a product analyst and later, as a manager for the baby food processor. While there, Greg met his Mrs. Claus, Karen, and the two have been married 30 years.<\/p>\n One year as they traveled to Branson on vacation, the duo fell in love with the area and moved to Missouri.<\/p>\n As years passed and with his hair and beard nearly all white, the White River Valley Electric Cooperative member says he was happy to take jobs which required him to dress as the jolly red fellow.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m blessed to be the Santa for Silver Dollar City during the Christmas season,\u201d says Greg, noting he and Mrs. Claus also kick off the Festival of Lights parade in Springfield.<\/p>\n For the past 19 years Greg also could be seen portraying Dad Howitt in the Shepherd of the Hills Adventure Park in Branson. The outdoor drama is based on the famous historical novel by Harold Bell Wright which portrays the Ozarks life in the late 1800s.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve even figured out a way to tie my beard back for the shepherd gig so I don\u2019t look like Santa,\u201d Greg says.<\/p>\n Greg says it\u2019s not unusual for him to hear someone exclaim \u201cSanta!\u201d when he\u2019s out running errands. Often youngsters will come up and begin talking to Greg as if they\u2019ve known him all their lives because, well, you know \u2014 he looks like Santa.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll come up and say, \u2018Santa, you know I\u2019ve been really good this year,\u2019 and then go into great detail describing whatever gifts they\u2019d like to receive,\u201d Greg recalls. \u201cI\u2019ve also overheard parents telling their kid to behave. That\u2019s when I usually walk up behind the youngster and remind them I\u2019m watching to see if they\u2019ve been naughty or nice. That usually hushes them up for the time being.\u201d<\/p>\n Always looking the part, Greg notes that his ornate suits are all handmade by his Mrs. Claus. \u201cShe always keeps me looking good,\u201d says the humble Kringle.<\/p>\n He says portraying Santa reaches people of all ages on some level. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if they\u2019re a toddler or 100 years old, because for a second when they see me, their eyes light up and they believe in Santa Claus,\u201d says Greg. \u201cThat makes it all worthwhile.\u201d<\/p>\n