Merry And Bright

Story By Kendyl Hollingsworth Photos Contributed by Nancy and Laura Cargill

David Cargill lived to make people happy. After all, he was Santa Claus — and spreading Christmas cheer is what Santa does best.

“I don’t know what to say except he just loved doing Santa,” said Nancy Cargill, David’s wife of more than 50 years, and the occasional Mrs. Claus. “… When he got where he couldn’t do it anymore, it really hurt him. That was just his thing.”

The holiday season brings a certain magic; the lights, music, decorations, gatherings with friends and family — and, of course, Santa Claus — can transport us back to our childhoods and inspire us all to love a little more. But with David’s passing on Sept. 30, a little bit of the local Christmas magic will be missing this year.

Donning Santa’s signature suit — complete with the hat, boots and gloves — was what David looked forward to each year, all year, for more than four decades. It wasn’t about the suit, though. What mattered most was putting a smile on people’s faces, no matter their age. You might have seen him meeting children around Tiger Town, waving in parades or listening to countless Christmas wishes in shops and restaurants. (Santa was also a regular at Chappy’s Deli.)

One year, he even did a photoshoot with a brandnew Jeep for a local car dealership.

David traveled as far as Montgomery and Eufaula, volunteering to fill Santa’s boots whenever he could, but perhaps it was at Opelika’s “Christmas in a Railroad Town” event where David was most at home as Santa.

“That was his main gig,” said his granddaughter, Laura Cargill, who can be seen with David in many of his photos.

And despite having met hundreds or even thousands of people over the years, David had a gift for remembering each and every one. “He remembers everybody,” Laura said. “It didn’t matter who you were and how long ago it’s been since you’ve seen him, he’d be like, ‘Hey! … I remember you.’

“That blew people away because, you know, he saw hundreds, probably thousands of people — especially during Christmas in a Railroad Town. ... But he remembered everybody. He had a really great memory. It makes it seem magical in that way.” After news spread of David’s passing this year, Nancy and Laura said they “could not believe” all the kind words, memories, photos and videos people shared of him. One man recounted on social media a

special experience he and his daughter once had with David as Santa in Tiger Town.

“I’ll never forget the day that I was in Tiger Town and Santa saw me and my daughter and he [stopped] and called her by her name,” he wrote. “She looked up at me with the biggest eyes and said he knows my name! It was priceless!!!”

As a former police officer in his hometown of Opelika, taking on the role of Santa Claus was a stark contrast to what David experienced each day at his full-time job of 15-plus years. And although playing Santa was technically just a part-time job, Laura said it was much more than that.

In fact, Laura has always known her “Papa” as Santa Claus.

“Papa was just Santa,” she recalled. “When I was born, he dressed as Santa because he said he wanted me to meet him as Santa Claus for the first time. … I’m like a newborn little baby, and he’s full glammed out in his Santa suit, holding me. He’s special. He really was.”

A picture of that first meeting hangs on the wall in the Cargills’ living room. In fact, a peek around David’s house reveals just how much Santa was interwoven in the threads of his life.

“Papa lived for Santa,” Laura said. “… If you go in their hallway and in their other rooms, it’s just Santa knickknacks everywhere. He loved Santa.”

More pictures of David dressed as Santa also line the walls and adorn shelves, promising to keep a little of his holiday magic in the home year-round.

When David first began playing Santa in his 30s, his family said he had to wear a fake beard to look the part. But as he got older, he grew his own that he kept throughout the year, effectively growing into his role as Santa.

And according to Nancy, David didn’t just have one suit; he had five. One was a Victorian-style suit made by a friend, and David also wore a white suit on occasion. His family has a few pictures of him dressed in his white Santa suit with a few happy canine friends.

Although David and Santa shared many similarities, Laura said there was a certain magic that came alive in her grandfather when he would put on the suit.

“He’s the same person, but when he would get into the costume and wear the jingle bells on his wrists and have the bag, it was like he transformed into his character,” she remembered. “Even at 10, 11, 12, 13 [years old] … I’d get goosebumps. He’s just, like, magical.”

When the family would go out to eat before one of David’s “Santa gigs,” Nancy and Laura said children would watch in wonder, eyes wide and mouths open, as David would turn to them and offer a wink, or put a finger to his lips as if to say, “Shhhh, this will be our secret.”

“That happened countless times, and I’d get so jealous, but it was really sweet,” Laura said, laughing. “I learned to appreciate it. I really did.”

One time at Outback Steakhouse, a young girl was overcome with joy at the sight of Santa Claus.

“She came running and grabbed him — it was so sweet,” Nancy recalled, tears filling her eyes. “They said most of the time she was scared [of Santa Claus], but this child wasn’t. She was not scared of him. She just sat there with him.”

Some adults today even recognize David as the Santa they had

known their whole lives. David kept many of the pictures he took with those he met, with several people appearing more than once.

“There will never be another one in my heart,” wrote one woman on Facebook after his passing. “He embodied the spirit of Christmas all year long and was SO loved by so many.”

Sadly, David had to do away with his iconic Santa look when he was diagnosed with mouth cancer during the pandemic. He may have lost his signature beard and the ability to speak, but one thing he kept was his positive spirit.

“He was such a positive person,” Laura said. “I really thought he’d push through it. He was always happy, even when he was sick.”

Since Santa had become the main source of income for the Cargills, Laura set up a GoFundMe page for people to donate toward his medical expenses. The goal? Over $4,000.

Although she said she expected to raise at least a quarter of that, the GoFundMe ended up raising money past the goal, and Laura said it was “a blessing” to see just how many people were willing to offer their support.

“I mean, I knew people loved him, but God — people really loved him,” she said, still in awe. “It blew me away. … [He had] a lot of people to take care of him for a while. I was really grateful for the community for that because he deserved to rest during his last year.”

According to Laura, the donations helped David get a scooter and all his medications; it also paid for a nurse to come to his home to give him his infusions so he wouldn’t have to go out each time.

One day at the hospital during one of his last bouts with cancer, David received a welcome surprise — four other Santas came to visit him.

“It made his day,” Laura said. “He [was] so happy. I know he missed it. I mean, it was one of those things — like this last year he didn’t want to talk about it because he’d get so sad that he couldn’t do it anymore. But he’s always Santa to me. He always will be. … Christmas won’t be the same without him.”

When he wasn’t busy playing Santa, David still embodied the same jolly, giving spirit. It brought him joy to spend time with friends and family, including three children, although Laura said her Papa was also like a father to her.

With a twinkle in her eye and a smile from ear to ear, Laura recalled one of her most treasured memories with her Papa: the time he took her to a father-daughter dance when she was young.

“My dad was not in my life, and I had a daddy-daughter dance in Georgia, which is where I lived at the time, and [Papa] was in Alabama,” she said. “I wanted to go so bad because all my friends were going, but I didn’t have a dad to take me, and he drove two hours to go and take me. He wore a tux, and it was the sweetest thing ever. And then afterwards, he took me to McDonald’s and got me a Happy Meal. I was so happy.

“Papa was my dad, in a sense. Every weekend I spent with Papa. Every summer I spent with Papa. Every winter break, fall break — with Papa. So he was that, and it’s tough. It’s like literally losing my dad, and I miss him.”

Nancy and Laura remember a man who would regularly go out of his way to help others.

A man who loved attending services at Pepperell Baptist Church, and who went on many mission trips to serve those in need.

A man who loved to cook, especially for others, whose famous potato casserole — which Laura now calls “Papa’s Casserole” — has fed countless hungry friends and strangers.

A man who loved to garden everything from carrots to roses, who wouldn’t ever get mad when animals would eat his vegetables because he was just happy to feed them.

“That was him,” Laura said. “He always did everything for everybody. He just loved to make people happy. That was his thing. … He just was saving the world, just one step at a time.” So, this year, take a moment to appreciate all that you have, and love as large as David did.

And never stop believing in the magic of the season.