Eric Schmitt-Matzen looks every bit the Santa Claus. He’s professionally trained. Custom-tailored in red. Works approximately 80 gigs annually. Wife Sharon plays an authentic Mrs. Claus. His cellphone, with a Jingle Bells ringtone, continually counts down the days until Christmas. Even his civilian attire always includes Santa suspenders. The whole package is designed to spread joy and have fun. Which it does – except for the role he played several weeks ago at a local hospital. “I cried all the way home,” Schmitt-Matzen told me. “I was crying so hard, I had a tough time seeing good enough to drive. This is what happens when a terminally ill child dies in Santa’s arms.
Boy who asked for last wish dies in Santa’s arms
