Meet Biltmore Estate’s Santa Jim
Officially, Jim Lewis is retired. But each winter, he helps out a friend who just can’t handle the seasonal workload all by himself. Lewis dons a red uniform, takes a moment to be present and get ready for the day ahead, and then he takes a seat amidst the lights and music and breathtaking setting of Antler Hill Village at Biltmore Estate.
And then the fun begins.
For select days in November and December, Lewis becomes Santa Jim, helping families make memories, encouraging little ones who might be just a tad skeptical about a bearded man who looks just like the one in their storybooks, and easing all ages into the holiday season. This winter marks 20 years for Santa Jim at Biltmore Estate, but his path to this seasonal magic started in 1979.
“I was in the Navy,” Lewis said. “And back then you could wear a beard. I worked at the Naval Hospital in San Diego, and we were getting for Christmas. and they wanted to have a party for the nurses in the hospital. They asked me if I would be Santa.”
From that start, Lewis went on to assume the beloved role for family and friends and at parties and events, all throughout his years in the Navy and after he left the service. He became a professional Santa in 2002, and Asheville’s Biltmore Estate came calling two years later. Lewis takes classes beginning each January – “kind of like taking continuing education classes for Santa,” he said – and he keeps up with the new toys and trends, preparing all year for the questions and requests from his youngest visitors.
“It is a responsibility, and I take it very seriously,” he said. “The whole impetus for it is children.”
When families approach, Lewis said it is an enormous moment in the lives of the little ones he encounters.
“That few minutes, few seconds that I interact with them is probably one of – at that time in their life – is one of the most important things that can happen outside of their family, of course,” he said. “But I believe that extends throughout your adult life, because at Christmas time, things change, feelings change. As you watch your family grow and your grandchildren – it's all interrelated. It's one of those things that is a thread throughout family life because you can trace it back as long as you have pictures that you put out every Christmas and the Christmas ornaments that you put on the tree.”
Lewis is fully immersed in the role once he puts on the instantly recognizable suit, so much so that his wife says he can’t separate that persona from his own. He is a keen observer of families, trying to size up the little ones before they get too close to determine who is ready to engage and who might need a more cautious interaction.
“As each child approaches Santa, they will exhibit behaviors, that gives me a clue as to how the interaction might go and what I need to do,” he said. “For example, a child that is hesitant and that's kind of standing back, I will greet them, and then I will go to another child – maybe their sibling – and I will talk to that sibling and let that hesitant child stand off to the side, so that they can see the interaction with their sibling. Or if they have no siblings, I will do it with their parents. It gives them the idea that everything is cool. It's a safe way to do it.”
Words and interactions matter. Lewis asks children what they would like for Christmas, rather than what they want, and he never promises a specific gift. Some children are adamant about not interacting with him, and that’s perfectly fine with Lewis.
“You can't pressure them because it ends up being a bad interaction not only this year, but in future years, so I let them just observe,” he said.
In fact, Lewis’ one request to parents is that they never force a child to visit with him, especially if the child is upset or afraid.
“Don’t do that,” he said. “It’s just not fair.”
After two decades in the same location, Lewis has the delight of seeing children grow to adulthood and then bring their own children to see him. He has posed with five generations in one photo and had parents hold up an ultrasound image and then return the following year for baby’s second photo with him. The stories and the interactions bring him joy that he shares abundantly. Throughout it all, he plants the seeds of Christmas magic.
“You just let the children believe what they want,” he said. “You give them the information and let them believe what they want.”
Find Santa Jim at the Bandstand at Antler Hill Village at Biltmore Estate from 1 – 5 p.m. Nov. 11 – 12, Nov. 18 – 19, Dec. 2, Dec. 9 – 10. Dec. 16 – 17, and Dec. 19 – 23. “Christmas at Biltmore” continues through Jan. 7, 2024. For event details and tickets, visit biltmore.com/things-to-do/events/christmas.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Meet Biltmore Estate’s Santa Jim
