About Santa One

Glenn Crone has portrayed Santa Claus in Richmond, VA since 1963. He first donned the Red and White to face a long line of impatient parents and long-faced little ones on extremely short notice. His predecessor, a hulking football player, had found this line too formidable and on the first break of his first day he left the field - never to return. That was more than 30 years ago and Glenn is still "filling in".

Christmas is a time of giving and every year the tons of toddlers Santa talks to give him their all - love, crumbly cookies, soggy kisses and a colossal cold. During January - a recuperative period - Glenn swears "Never Again". But the day after Thanksgiving you'll find him back in belly harness. Forgotten is the fact that playing Santa Claus is physically demanding, mentally exhausting, and emotionally draining. Remembered are those marvelous moments.

Why does he do it?

Over the years he has come to realize why the Santa legend not only lives but grows. He now sees it as a means of reaching into a child's life and enriching it with values which, if held and applied in adulthood, can only result in more meaningful lives and a better world.

Virginia Governor John Dalton awarded Glenn a certificate of recognition in 1980. The inscription on this certificate reads:

"For his contribution to the meaning of Christmas by playing Santa Claus in the Governor's Mansion and elsewhere; For portraying this symbolic figure of the Season in the tradition of the jovial St. Nicholas; For the personal warmth he has brought to so many Virginians, young and old, in bringing to life the essence of the Christmas spirit."