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We Need a Little Christmas, Right This Very Minute
Most people say they love the Christmas season, but how many really embody the goodwill, generosity, hope, and pure joy that the season should engender in our hearts?
Brian Jolin did.
From the laughs that the Jolin family Christmas cards provided to their lucky recipients to the wonder experienced by the hundreds of children who were fortunate enough to have a visit from “Santa Brian,” Brian made sure that the season was merry and bright for so many of us.
For years, Brian created amazing Christmas cards to send to loved ones. With intricate sets and costumes, Brian, his wife Jennifer, and son Thomas would recreate scenes from movies and pop culture. Favorites include Elf, Star Wars, Angry Birds, and A Christmas Carol.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Jolin
So popular were these Christmas cards that the Jolins’ take on A Christmas Story, complete with a pouting Thomas as Ralphie in his bunny costume, Brian (wrapped in bubble wrap) as the “Fra-Gee-Ley” box, and Jennifer as it up as the vampy leg lamp, made the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2015. The Star-Telegram article resulted from the reporter’s post on Facebook in the Tanglewood Moms group, asking who still sent Christmas cards and who had interesting stories. So many people responded, “The Jolins,” that the reporter, Sarah Bahari, had to check out the cards for herself.
Brian started volunteering as Santa for neighborhood gatherings, and that’s when lightning struck. “He had the perfect personality to be Santa and truly loved bringing happiness,” Jennifer said. “Brian loved appearing at people’s homes, and he really enjoyed participating in clients’ parties and celebrations.”
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Jolin
Brian volunteered throughout the year in addition to running his promotional products and printing business, but he truly loved being Santa Brian. Santa Brian visited medically fragile children in their homes as part of the Secret Sleigh Project. He worked with the Ability Connection to let people with intellectual and developmental disabilities visit Santa. Santa Brian often appeared at events held by local nonprofits, such as the Welman Project, Fortress, and Kids Hope.
And he took his role as Santa Brian seriously. “… he would shave his head so no brown hair poked out of his hat. He wanted to be REAL,” Jennifer said. “He bought progressively nicer Santa suits through the years and began growing his beard out months in advance.”
When Covid precluded Santa Brian’s in-person visits, he arranged online visits. Can you imagine how special those kiddos felt to be in a Zoom with Santa? And he arranged for a masked, distanced visit to one little girl. Vanessa Barker’s daughter, Joey June, was struggling, so they met at Stir Crazy for a talk.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Jolin
“He never asked her what she wanted for Christmas,” Vanessa said. “Instead, dressed in that suit, he asked her about her friends, learning to ride a bike, and if I was driving her crazy. He knew what she really wanted and needed was to believe that Santa was legit a good dude.”
Santa Brian was legit a good dude.
Of course, every good story must end. Brian was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in 2020, and he died in 2022.
”Brian had appeared at several holiday events at FWAFA,” Jennifer said. “After he died, FWAFA staff reached out to find out if I would sell his suit to them. I donated it, of course, and a special label was sewn in honoring Santa Brian.” Santa Brian lives on.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Jolin
Vanessa was a speaker at Brian’s memorial service. She brought Santa hats and challenged us to perform an act of kindness every August 13, Brian’s birthday. It’s now Santa Brian Day, so if you see someone in Fort Worth wearing a Santa hat that day, ask them about Santa Brian.
“I’m not good at endings,” Vanessa said in her remarks at Brian’s service. “Endings suck. But then I thought, ‘What if we just keep going?’ Keep being the people Brian saw somewhere in us – kind people, people who stand up for each other, people who celebrate each other? Creative people, people who don’t just hear but actually listen?”
Let’s face it, we could use a Santa Brian right now. We need a reminder that there are people who embody the generosity, compassion, humility, and humanity that is the Christmas spirit.
In her eulogy, Vanessa said it best. “Santa is real. And, for way too short a moment, we all were in the presence of the really real Santa. Thanks for making us all believe again, Brian.”
