Atlanta Santa With Down’s Syndrome Joins International Hall of Fame

Bradley Carlisle’s career as Santa Claus began at a holiday gathering for children with Down’s syndrome. It has now led to a place in the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame. Carlisle, a 37-year-old community theater actor from suburban Atlanta, first played Santa at the 2023 holiday party of the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta. His mother, Debbie Chadrix, said the organization wanted a Santa who looked and spoke like some of the children attending the event. Although Carlisle had been afraid of Santa as a child, Chadrix said he accepted the role. He appeared in the traditional red suit and white beard and interacted with more than 200 children at the party. According to his mother, he later announced that he would continue as the group’s Santa. Local media attention followed during his second Christmas season. Carlisle also appeared on a podcast with Rick Rosenthal, who runs Atlanta’s Northern Lights Santa Academy. Rosenthal invited him to attend the academy’s four-day course, which began on August 20. The training covered practical aspects of performing as Santa, including costume preparation, beard maintenance and responding to difficult questions from children. Those questions can involve serious illness or the death of a loved one, according to the academy’s description of the program. Chadrix said Carlisle completed the same training as the other participants. At a ceremony on August 23, Phil Wenz of the Santa Claus Oath Foundation presented Carlisle with a badge and announced his honorary induction into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame. The institution is located in Santa Claus, Indiana. Wenz also said that members of the Santa community had helped provide Carlisle with a custom-made suit. Rosenthal said Carlisle deserved the honor because he brought particular sensitivity to children with Down’s syndrome. Chadrix said she had wanted to ensure that her son was not being recognized solely because of his condition, but was told that his performance and interactions as Santa had also impressed the organizers. Carlisle’s photograph is scheduled to appear in New York City’s Times Square during Down Syndrome Awareness Month beginning October 1, which is also his birthday. He told Atlanta television station WXIA that he enjoys the role because he likes helping children. Asked how it feels to put on the Santa suit, he replied: “It feels like love.”