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 More Famous than Dr Phil
    
| I wrote this a couple years ago, but I think about him every yearA little Christmas story. Several years ago, while managing Green Chile Willy's, I met a man named Earl Banick. I met him as we were closing one night. Anot her guest was having car problems in the parking lot and Earl stepped in to help. After doing some trouble shooting, he ended up driving a complete stranger to the canyon Walmart to buy a new battery. I knew I needed to get to know Earl a little better. As the years went by I visited with him and his wife many times. When I moved to different restaurants he always found me. We talked and I learned that HE WAS SANTA CLAUS... literally. Every year he gave up his holiday season and missed his anniversary so he could be Santa. He would come into my restaurants and talk to kids, pass out his business cards (which had nothing but his picture and the name Santa Claus on it). He always listened to the kids even in mid July. I never saw him without a smile. He worked in various cities bringing joy to 1000's of kids. He died last year. He was just a gun-toting redneck old man to most people.... But to me and 1000's of kids, when someone says Santa Claus. I see his face.
i hope everyone had a great Chiristmas. Say a prayer for the people like Earl that live to make children smile. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | txdad - 2018-12-22 10:18 PM I wrote this a couple years ago, but I think about him every year
A little Christmas story. Several years ago, while managing Green Chile Willy's, I met a man named Earl Banick. I met him as we were closing one night. Anot her guest was having car problems in the parking lot and Earl stepped in to help. After doing some trouble shooting, he ended up driving a complete stranger to the canyon Walmart to buy a new battery. I knew I needed to get to know Earl a little better. As the years went by I visited with him and his wife many times. When I moved to different restaurants he always found me. We talked and I learned that HE WAS SANTA CLAUS... literally. Every year he gave up his holiday season and missed his anniversary so he could be Santa. He would come into my restaurants and talk to kids, pass out his business cards (which had nothing but his picture and the name Santa Claus on it). He always listened to the kids even in mid July. I never saw him without a smile. He worked in various cities bringing joy to 1000's of kids. He died last year.
He was just a gun-toting redneck old man to most people.... But to me and 1000's of kids, when someone says Santa Claus. I see his face.
i hope everyone had a great Chiristmas. Say a prayer for the people like Earl that live to make children smile.
We need more Earls in our lives..  |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | We had a friend like Earl but his name was Charlie, he was the most sweetest and kind hearted man I and my husband ever knew, miss him a whole lot. He passed away on May 30, 2016. He own a wrecker service here in town and he and his mother were always on the road helping any one that needed it.. I called him our Santa Claus because he had a white beard, sure do miss seeing him and his mother coming up our drive way in his old Wrecker, he had a ton of friends... His two sons followed his foot steps and own their own wrecker Service..
Heres a picture of our Earl, but hes Charlie Peeples of Seguin Texas..
Edited by Southtxponygirl 2018-12-23 1:18 PM
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Agree completely, need more Earls and Charlies. . . . |
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 Saint Stacey
| Merry Christmas txdad! Great seeing you pop in and thanks for sharing about Earl. |
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More Famous than Dr Phil
| SKM - 2018-12-23 4:11 PM
Merry Christmas txdad! Great seeing you pop in and thanks for sharing about Earl.
Merry Christmas to you too and all my family here |
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 Popped
Posts: 20421
Location: LuluLand~along I64 Indiana | Great story for christmas! Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas to all!! |
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