Northport couple share Christmas spirit, cheer
One local couple is helping to ensure that the Christmas spirit is alive and well in Leelanau County, and could very well make an appearance at a home near you in the days ahead.
After a four-year hiatus, Northport residents’ Scot and Jennifer Wack are back at it this season as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. People can catch them in character during their home visits, where families can make arrangements to have the duo stop along their route to deliver some holiday cheer.
This time of year and the holiday itself is made special because of a number of reasons, Scot explained, but keeping that Christmas joy alive for the kids is the main reason why they love to do what they do.
“It’s not just because of presents, it’s the mystery of Christmas and it’s the mystery of Santa Claus and to keep that spirit alive,” Scot said. “There’s not much of it now and it’s all gotten commercialized and we just want to bring that spirit back to everyone… It makes us happy to see the kids’ faces when we show up. You get a sparkle in their eyes and it’s like, ‘wow, it’s Santa,’ and it’s just cool.”
Getting into character as Santa also runs in the family. Scot’s father-in-law, the late John Thomas, used to dress up as Santa Claus at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse more than a decade ago. Scot eventually took on the Santa role at the lighthouse from Thomas, and since then, has gladly put on the red suit with Jennifer by his side and visited with dozens of families in the community. In 2019, the first year Jennifer and Scot started offering Santa Claus home visits, they met with 146 kids around Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties.
“So we’re making a slow comeback, we have three (visits) coming up next weekend,” Scot said. “We did a soft opening this time just to see how it was and we got some response back. It’s a good thing and it’s really fun to do. It’s really important for us to keep the kids believing… Seeing doesn’t make you believe, but believing makes you see.”
According to Scot’s most recent home visits, children still believe in Santa, but they will often quiz him and ask questions. He said he likes to be prepared by watching Christmas movies before going out and has various answers ready for just about any question posed to him.
“It’s questions like, ‘where’s your reindeer? — Well, they’re at the airport and there were flight restrictions and I had to rent a car, I can’t fly them out here,’” he said. “We get a hold of the parents beforehand and we find out things about them — if they’re doing good in school, and if they want us to bring presents, they can stash them outside and we’ll grab them and bring them in and give them to kids. There’s lots of different things that we do.”
Scot said offering home visits that were both more convenient and affordable for families was another reason why they brought it back again. The $50 rate per visit helps to cover gas for transportation, but families can take as many pictures as they want from the comfort of their own home.
Exciting plans to start earlier next year are already in the works. Scot said everything will be sponsored through their store, the Northport Trading Post, and he’ll have some help from his son-in-law, who may show up as the Grinch with him during home visits.
With the countdown to Christmas fast approaching though, Scot said people should reach out to him as soon as they can to ensure they get a spot in Santa’s schedule. The easiest way to contact Scot is by text at 231-944-0161 or by sending a message via their store’s Facebook page.
