SANTA Chris Rumble

DECEMBER ARTICLE. I write an article that appears in “The Echo,” the monthly magazine for the Bent Tree Community. I hope you enjoy the one for this month! 

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FINDING HOME

Do I Have a Holiday Gift Idea? YES!

By Chris Rumble

“NOV 03, 2021 AT 8:28 AM”

Thus reads the time stamp on the Facebook message that has precipitated circumstances leading my wife to refer to me as her “Second Husband.”

Because of my affirmative response to the question posed to me in the message that arrived at 8:28 AM on November 3 two years ago, I have hundreds of new friends who are kindred spirits. By saying “YES” to the request, my life has been imbued with wonder, fresh vision and multiplied hilarious laughter.

Blessings came bursting forth and consistently flow into my life even now, all because I said “YES” to the proposal in this altogether unexpected Facebook message.

My friend, might you indulge me as I share this next part of my true-life tale? Please, dear reader, do not consider me too awfully boastful and miss the more virtuous goal of my writing. I tell my story merely to offer you an invitation that might prove very beneficial to you in the next little while, launching you into that chapter of your life story that is waiting to be written, just around the corner.

Aside from the above-mentioned beatific generalities, these blessings include, but are not limited to (in chronological order):
• Playing a “wise barista” in a music video .
• Finding myself portraying an old guy in a retirement home in the popular ABC show Will Trent. (No real acting stretch!)
• Being a LIVE guest on Kevin and Taylor in the Morning on 104.7 The Fish.
• Enrolling in an acting class, getting my feet wet in the craft, getting my head shots and discovering how to get myself in front of casting directors.
• Being cast in roles in commercials, student films and indie films ranging from a post-apocalyptic pioneer who dies as he is sucked into the desert sands, a mentor archeologist who dies in a suspicious cave collapse while trying to find Excalibur, a father descending into dementia while his adult son struggles with what to do, a Florida redneck who gets his hand mauled by an alligator and spends the rest of the film slowly bleeding to death and decrying the idiocy of his moronic friend who can’t seem to offer any help in spite of his best efforts, a WWII veteran who loves his daughter and his farmhand but can’t seem to authentically express his affection for either one to his own detriment and all the way to a murderous farmer who turns subpar farmhands into scarecrows.
• Doing voiceover work for NineLine Apparel, a company by veterans, for veterans.
• Being selected to portray the Carhartt Clothing Company’s Rugged Santa in their national ad campaign in partnership with The Weather Channel.
• And, finally, playing Clarence Oddbody in The Historic Holly Theater’s production of the It’s A Wonderful Life LIVE Radio Play.

“But,” you might ask, “what was in that pivotal Facebook message of NOV 03, 2021?”

The message in question came from Shayla Myers, the Family Ministry Director at Pleasant Hill Christian Church in Waleska, GA. It read:

“Good morning!! So, we are racking our brains trying to figure out who we can get to be Santa at this year’s Christmas Party for foster children and their foster families. Our Santa is having some health issues and most Santas are already booked. Your name came up because we think you’d be awesome. Any interest in being Santa for us? December 3rd from 6:00-8:30pm. We do have a Santa suit. If your wife wanted to help we could get a Mrs. Claus outfit!!”

It took about 2 minutes for Cathy and me to clear our calendars and say, “YES.”

Having never done this before, I found myself nervous as we showed up for the grand gathering. We should never let such feelings deter us from stepping into the unknown, by the way. In fact, I believe that every day we should do something that generates that nerve-induced queasy feeling, for such keeps us alert and feeling alive.

The nerves quickly dissipated and the joy rushed in. Those few hours spent in that comically huge fake beard and having those sweet children looking up at me in pure belief, hearts open wide and ready to hear hopeful, loving and encouraging words from dear Ol’ Santa have changed every subsequent moment for the rest of my life. That one wonderful opportunity has led to one beautiful surprise after the next.

You see, I was so moved by my time with those precious kids that I walked away from that event declaring to Cathy that I was never going to shave my beard again – never, not ever again.

That’s how I became Cathy’s “Second Husband.”

And now my life is different. I am different. Honestly, I feel, more than ever like the man I was born to be. I am “finding home.”

And, hopefully, I am better equipped to make a bigger difference in the lives of others.

Sometimes the best gift we can give to others - and to ourselves - is simply to say “YES.”

SANTA AND MRS. CLAUS PUBLIC APPEARANCE SCHEDULE, for those who have been asking:

12/6, 6:30-7:30 PM: Ball Ground Public Library, Ball Ground GA

12/7, 5:30-7:30 PM: RT Jones Memorial Library, Canton GA

12/8, 6:00-7:00 PM: Gilmer County Public Library, Ellijay GA

12/10, 4:00-6:00 PM: Bad Donkey Studio, Jasper GA

12/10, 6:00-7:00 PM: Walking Main Street, Jasper GA

12/15, 6:45-7:45 PM: Rose Creek Public Library, Woodstock GA

12/19, 6:00-8:00 PM: Love Lights @ Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, Jasper GA

THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST!

We love you all and hope to see you soon!