Thread: In The True Spirit Of The Season

Santa Claus Spreads Good Will In Memory Of 3-year-old Daughter

WHEN “SANTA CLAUS” isn't busy being Santa around the holidays, he lives in Waterford and works as the fire marshal at the Pfizer Global Research and Development site in Groton.

OK, Jody DeCarolis isn't Kris Kringle, but for two decades he's been a self-described “Santa's helper,” a stand-in for St. Nick at Christmas parties throughout the region, including Groton City's annual Holiday Festival.

And for the last dozen holiday seasons, DeCarolis has been spreading good will in memory of his 3-year-old daughter, Jennifer, who died in 1990 after a heart-transplant operation.

The 43-year-old firefighter and emergency medical technician isn't compensated a penny for his appearances. But if he should get donations, he uses them to buy $100 gift certificates for home heating oil or Wal-Mart that he then gives to families who have been identified by his “elves,” or his friends, as being in need.

DeCarolis has raised $300 to $700 in any given December, donating all of it to the families.

Vincent Ukleja, a friend and fellow volunteer firefighter at the Quaker Hill department in Waterford, didn't know about DeCarolis' charity giving, but said it didn't surprise him because DeCarolis is “that type of guy ... very conscientious” to do it.

The reason some friends don't know about DeCarolis' charity giving is because he does it anonymously. He probably would have continued to be the secret Santa this year if it weren't for a couple of friends in Groton who blew his cover.

DeCarolis –– who grew up on Morse Avenue, three blocks from Pfizer in Groton –– started dressing up as Santa about 20 years ago when the parents of his goddaughter dared him to play Father Christmas for a party for their children and a couple of children around the Quaker Hill neighborhood. Over time he began to appear at the homes of more families and friends, then expanded to include nonprofit groups, day care centers, and community organizations, as well as private homes and businesses like the Ukleja Tree Farm on Old Colchester Road in Montville.

“To see the families' faces and the smiles, you cannot put a price on it to know they believe. ... I just believe in giving what you can give,” DeCarolis said, adding that he can't describe the satisfaction he feels when he sees his reflection in full costume in the wide eyes of a youngster.

The only year he declined to play the role was in 1990, three months after his daughter died. “My heart wasn't into it,” he said.

Jennifer, the younger of DeCarolis' two children, was born with a congenital heart defect. In her short life she had to undergo five operations, have two pacemakers installed and live with tubing that rerouted the blood near her heart and lungs.

In 1991, DeCarolis said, he began to believe his daughter would have wanted him to continue being Santa.

“I just do it for love,” he said. “I believe in the spirit and I do it in memory of my daughter. She knows I'm doing it. She totally believes. She's with me.

“She had the spirit of life.”

Standing 5-feet-9 with a brawny 210-pound build, DeCarolis takes great pains to look authentic to add to the magic of Santa for the children. He appears in full costume, complete with a beard and wig made of white hair, wire-rimmed glasses and a specially made pillow wrapped around the middle to give him that “bowlful of jelly” look.

And he does look and act like Santa, said Carl Mossberg of the Charity & Relief Masonic Lodge on Gravel Street in Mystic, where DeCarolis appeared for more than two hours last week.

“He was very convincing,” Mossberg said. “The kids shine up to him very well. ... He's perfect for it. He's good with kids.”

Mossberg's organization raised $170 for DeCarolis' home-heating oil fund.

Some of the 35 youngsters at the Children's Nook Day Care Center in Groton couldn't get enough of DeCarolis Friday. They hugged him, showed him the presents they received at their party, and held onto his leg to stop him from leaving. Despite the din in the room, DeCarolis managed to grab a few moments to chat with some of the youngsters, who were between 6 weeks and 5 years old.

Among the hundreds of children who have sat on his lap, DeCarolis recalled one girl from a Montville Brownie Troop about 15 years ago who didn't ask for a pet, a toy or a baby brother or sister, but rather a bed. The girl, who he thought was 6 or 7 years old, had been sleeping on the floor.

DeCarolis found out the story was true and made sure the girl got a bed. Five years later, he worked with the Cohanzie Elementary School principal to donate clothing to students in need.

His charity work eventually evolved to the home-heating oil fund, which he began about five years ago. He also spreads the Christmas spirit to others having tough times.

One Saturday this month, DeCarolis stopped by an East Lyme home, where the parents are going through a divorce, to cheer up the two children. Last year he made a personal visit to another East Lyme home where the family was struggling with a 10-year-old daughter's cancer.

“Give them a lift, that's what it's all about,” DeCarolis said. “You should be doing everything you can for kids and people all year round. ... If you can do it, do it.

“We're here for a short journey and gone for an eternity. Stop and smell the flowers and enjoy life and peace and happiness.”

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