BonnerSprings.com

Monday evening’s temperatures were a scant 23 degrees outside, but that was no problem for Santa Claus.

“This is my kind of weather!” he exclaimed as he and Mrs. Claus entered the First Christian Church parking lot to get ready for their ride in the Vaughn-Trent Christmas Parade.

He immediately found some fans, as exclamations of “Santa!” could be heard among the younger parade walkers in the parking lot.

One young fan asked if he was the “real” Santa, to which he replied “Yes.”

“Where is Rudolph?” the youngster asked.

“You know where Bonner Springs High School is? I left him in a field over there,” Santa replied.

Prior to entering the parking lot, Santa and Mrs. Claus might have been mistaken for some of Santa’s helpers, Dennis and Debbie Morche of Shawnee.

Dennis Morche has been bringing his friend Santa to children for 30 years. He said it started when his youngest daughter was a Campfire Girl and the troop needed to meet with Santa. It continued when his father’s nursing home wanted a visit from Santa and grew from there.

It wasn’t long before Morche’s wife, Debbie, began helping bring Mrs. Claus to events.

“I said, ‘Well, you know, I think it would be fun if you could go with me, too,’ and she’s gotta drive me anyway,” Morche said. “A lot of times, when Debbie’s there, kids aren’t as tense meeting Santa.”

Now Morche serves as Santa’s helper at all sorts of events, from the Kansas School for the Blind to Shawnee Mission Medical Center, where Morche also volunteers. And being Santa and Mrs. Claus’s helpers is no money-making venture for the couple — they provide the service for free.

“I just do it because I love doing it,” he said. “We don’t charge money, we just like to spread the Christmas spirit.”

The Morches provide Santa and Mrs. Claus’s outfits, buying or making them themselves. Morche said he makes sure the Clauses’ clothing and hair look as nice as possible, because it’s important for him that children believe in Santa and the spirit of Christmas.

“We’ve been through I don’t know how many outfits,” he said. “We just think it’s fun doing it and seeing everyone smile. It gets us in the Christmas spirit.”

Because he doesn’t want children wondering if there is a Santa, he makes sure Santa tells all the children he is the “real” Santa.

Morche first brought Santa to Bonner Springs at the Kaw Valley Relay for Life, helping a team in need of a Santa for their “Christmas in June” theme. This year was the third that he had brought Santa to the Vaughn-Trent Christmas Parade and Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting.

Morche said Santa enjoyed the parade and meeting with children in the Centennial Park caboose this year, which was a little bit warmer than the outside gazebo and helped him hear children’s gift requests. And there’s no doubt Morche will continue to bring Santa to Christmas events, because he loves to see people’s reactions to Santa.

“You can feel the excitement of the kids, and the parents get excited too, so you get excited,” he said. “You get just as much enjoyment as they do.”

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