Boyd Applegate (BA): Santa Claus was a byproduct of truck driving. Because I drive a truck, I can have a beard that's a little bit longer than most people.

And one early November, my head was cold, and I didn't have a hat. So, I stopped at a Wal-Mart. They had a rack of Santa hats right inside the door, and I picked one off, and I put it on my head. And a little 4-year-old boy that was walking by with his mother yanked her to a stop and said, "Look, it's Santa." 

And I have not spent Christmas Eve or Christmas Day at home with my family for the last 18 years. I'm usually in a rented red convertible, and I do under-the-tree gift deliveries that are designed for children to wake up and catch me in the middle of the process.

Rhonda Dixon (RD): What are some of your favorite moments doing Santa Claus over the years?

BA: One young lady wanted me to be her new stepfather. One young lady wanted me to provide her a maid. I've gone down to Tijuana, Mexico and done it where I don't speak the language.

In fact one year, when I was coming back, this young man comes running up to the side of the car. And when he saw me, his eyes opened, and his jaw dropped. I gave him a really jolly, "Ho, ho, ho," and I handed him this gift. And as I went across the border, the border guard had seen me hand him something. And he looked at me, and he said, "You really must be Santa, and tonight I can't possibly stop you, so go ahead."

RD: [Laughs]

BA: As a Santa Claus, one of the big mistakes you can make is to not believe yourself. When I walk out of the house in my suit, I cease being me, and I absolutely am Santa. And no matter whether it's a skeptical teenager or somebody that wants to yank on my beard, it doesn't matter. What matters the most to me is I believe. 

And Santa Claus is truly the most important thing in my life.