Dec. 7, 2025

The Santa Claus Biker Parade

Show Notes
Transcript

Johnny Mac shares five heartwarming and humorous Christmas stories. The main story centers around Pat, born in 1931, who, along with her family and volunteers, answers thousands of letters to Santa, continuing a tradition started by her father. Other stories include Fred's Vikings raising funds for cancer via Santa letters, Hannibal Parks' special mailbox for letters to Santa, a Santa Claus biker parade in Seville, and a humorous critique of extravagant Christmas sandwiches in the UK. Each story showcases the spirit of giving and festive cheer, capped off with personal anecdotes and community involvement.

5 Good News Stories is a daily podcast with five positive, uplifting news stories to brighten your day. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network

John also hosts Daily Comedy News

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Callaroga Shark Media. Hey there, I'm Jenni back with five

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good news Christmas stories. No, don't worry, I haven't gotten

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all Christmas. I'll have regular good news for you on

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Tuesday and Thursday as always, but today is Christmas. And

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Pat was born in nineteen thirty one. Her dad came

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home from World War One, left Chicago behind, said he

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wanted to return to small town Indiana. Soon after, he

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discovered that the postmaster in Santa Claus, Indiana. I told

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you about that place the other day, was drowning in

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letters from children writing to Santa, so he stepped into help.

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Before all this, he was a young sailor at the

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Brooklyn Navy Yard. They needed someone to play Santa at

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a children's party. Since he was originally from the town

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called Santa Claus, they asked him, but his beard was terrible,

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the suit wasn't great, but the kids loved him anyway,

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and he made himself a promise if he survived the war,

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he would spend his life being Santa. And he was

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Santa for fifty two years. So back to Pat. Born

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in nineteen thirty one, Pat has carried on dad's tradition.

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Her family and volunteers answer thousands of letters to Santa

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every year. She says, every letter gets answered unless there's

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no address or it's kind of inappropriate. Most are sweet,

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like Dear Santa, please make my dad smarter. Some come

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with solutions, like a child who mailed Santa house key

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because they didn't have a chimney. That's funny, you know.

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Some are more serious, children dealing with an illness, or

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grown ups writing from prison. Pat says every letter is

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read carefully and answered personally, but the child's name spelled

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correctly in a little note at the bottom. Pat also

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founded the Santa Claus Museum and Village to protect the

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town's history, and she loves sharing the story of how

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the town got its name in eighteen fifty six. Pat says,

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live so that your life may inspire others good words there.

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Fred's Vikings is a family team participating in the annual

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Relay for Life of Central New York. They're using some

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Christmas magic to bring dreams to life and raise funds

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for the fight against cancer. Through letters from Santa. Parents, grandparents,

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aunts and uncles, and anyone wishing to have a letter

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from Santa sent to a special child can fill out

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a simple online form telling the team the child's name, address,

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what they like for Christmas, as well some thoughts on

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if they've been good or need some improvement that's code

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for naughty. The volunteers draft the letter, printed out on

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holiday stationary and mail to the child before December twentieth.

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They do ask for a ten dollars donation per letter.

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Bob is the Senior Community Manager for the American Cancer

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Society and says this is such a great way of

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bringing joy and wanted to a child while making a

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meaningful gift to the American Cancer Society as well. We

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applaud these volunteers for taking the time to do this

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and raise critical funds to help further research, education, advocacy,

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and patient service programs. The folks at Hannibal Parks and

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Recreation are teaming up with Santa's Elves again this year.

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The North Pole Express Mailbox has been set up outside

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of Hannibal City Hall. Officials at Hannibal Parks and rec

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say it's important that letters include the child's name, age,

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biggest Christmas wish, and return address so Santa can write

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him back. Mary Lynn is the coordinator there and says,

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we want to make sure that Santa can read it,

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So make sure the address is legible. Make sure whatever

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they're wanting is legible in the letter as well. Santa

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will respond if the letters come to this mailbox and

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will respond of the address. This is a special North

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Pole Express mailbox. We have direct responses from Santa Claus.

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Last day for letters December fifteenth. They say around one

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hundred kids participate every year. Today in Seville it's the

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fourth Papa Noe Lada, in which dozens of bikers dressed

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to Santa Claus will take part in a parade. Part

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of the goals to bring gifts to children who are

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in the children's hospital. The event starts at ten thirty

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am and we'll run through several streets of the city

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center to culminate at in the hospital. Sounds like a

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lot of fun, saying, a bunch of Santas on bikes.

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All right, yesterday I told you about fast food for Christmas, Well,

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how about Christmas sandwiches? This seems to be a big

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deal over in the UK. Hannah has been investigating these

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and says they're over priced, structurally, on sound and weirder

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by the year, but we buy them anyway. We're told

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that overnight the humble sandwich becomes a festival of over complication.

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Pigs and blanket schabadas Yorkshire pudding ramps boxing day, curry

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wedge between slices of onion, bread, porchetta pagettes littered with pormijan,

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Cranberry's and shredded apple sound like way too much for

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reasons that defy science and sanity. In December, the Brits

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have decided that an entire roast dinner belongs in a

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cold portable for five pounds for lunch. If you're lucky.

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At the top end, there's Leon's Veggie Twist, miss Chibata

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stuff with roasted squash, apricot and pine nuts stuffing and

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pomegranate molasses sauce that'll go for eight pounds. It's not

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an eight pound sandwich. That's the currency, eight pounds, eight

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of them like dollars, but different. Gales is charging seven

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eighty for its smoke, turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich, right.

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That actually sounds really good. I would get that Tesco

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has taken their wrap and drenched it in Greevy mayonnaise.

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Prett has launched a porchetta and sage Baghett One review

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praised it for its herby crust. Another called it textraally confusing.

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Black Sheep Coffee has invented the pigs in blanket Shabata,

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the reviewer's claim is the ultimate hangover cure, and here's

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a winner line. They call these lunches the most British lunch, imaginable,

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optimistic in theory, compromised an execution, and clung to with

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inexplicable seasonal loyalty. Those here five a good news Christmas

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stories for today. Have a great day.