Now that Santa has finished delivering all of the presents, the big guy could really use some hard-earned time off. So what do Santa and Mrs. Claus do when the Christmas season is over? According to Owensboro Santa Bob Dasher, he and Mrs. Claus enjoy packing their red and white swimsuits and going “sea cruising.”
Although the couple enjoys their time on vacation, they can still often be found in character passing out candy canes or taking photos with the passengers on board ship. Some people leave Post-it notes for Santa on the couple’s cabin door or send small gifts from the ship to their room such as champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. It seems that there is a magical quality about being Santa that appeals to people of all ages, regardless of the setting or time of year.
Four years ago, when another Santa was unable to appear at a scheduled event, Dasher found himself filling in and assuming the role of Santa, much like Tim Allen’s character in The Santa Clause movies. Dasher said he fulfilled the role of Santa nearly seven times that first year, but did not expect the joy he would experience in just a short period of time.
“I just got hooked seeing the smiles on kids’ faces,” Dasher said. “The magic happened again for me.”
The next year, Dasher committed fully to the job of Santa, purchased his own suit and added a counterpart.
Sandy Meschko, a retired home economics teacher from Owensboro High School, said she was accustomed to dressing up for holidays at OHS, and even won a penny contest for charity one year dressed as Mrs. Claus. After seeing the happiness Dasher experienced in his role as Santa the first year, Meschko said, “The next year I said I wanted to join him.”
The addition of Mrs. Claus not only brought something special to photo opportunities and visits with Santa, it also proved to provide a calming effect for children that might not be sure about the experience. After the addition of Mrs. Claus, Santa found his commitments quickly grew from seven that first year to 165 in 2018.
“She was more of an observer in the beginning, but she loves Christmas,” Dasher said. “It was just an amazing thing. We had an event a few days ago — 80 percent of the children went to her rather than me. Some are skeptical or frightened and here is this softer, mothering figure and they will go to her much faster than me. We have that as an added value where they can visit with her.”
After the sudden rise in opportunities to fulfill the role of Santa, Dasher said he now owns seven suits that he rotates, taking each one to the dry cleaners, and even coming home to change suits throughout the day as necessary.
While the two do experience a special type of joy in their roles as Mr. and Mrs. Claus, Dasher became a bit emotional as he humbly admitted that the job is sometimes more than he bargained for.
“It turned out it was a whole lot more than, ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’ and candy canes,” Dasher said. “Something I didn’t have a clue about was the children who would sit on my lap and ask for Christmas presents. Some of those children have a parent that is in jail, drug rehab or have been victims of various types of abuse. That is where the ministry part comes in. We can’t fix that, but we can pray together.”
Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Dasher spent 12 years in Maine where he discovered his love for the cold and snow, which tie in well with his unique last name.
“People will ask, ‘Is your name really Dasher?’” he said, adding that his typical witty response is, “Yes, it is. I was born a reindeer and was promoted to the top spot.”
Aside from the ironic last name, Dasher’s past life experiences appear to have prepared him for his newfound role as well. As an over the road truck driver for several years he has visited all 48 continental states and most of Canada, as well as 9 or 10 foreign countries. He said this allows him to better interact with others.
Some of those interactions are beneficial in the role he is able to play in supporting or raising money for charitable causes.
“I am the official Santa for the Ronald McDonald House in Evansville,” Dasher said. “Being able to charge for appearances allows us to do the charity work we do. We also have some very special families we do not charge for, and the Ronald Mcdonald House is all volunteer.”
Although they do enjoy their downtime, the couple does not limit their work to the winter. When they are not on board ship, the two can be found participating in Christmas in July birthday parties for children, twisting balloons at Friday After 5 and, most recently, they have committed to participate in a Christmas in July mission trip to Appalachia.
Now that the Christmas season is over, which Dasher said was both “a blessing and a wild ride,” he and Meschko plan to enjoy their time together.
Meschko said this coming year they plan to focus on “enjoying life and being best friends,” which seems to suit the role of the infamous couple perfectly.
