Bradley Carlisle, a 37-year-old community theatre actor from suburban Atlanta, has become the first professional Santa Claus in the US with Down syndrome. He was also inducted as an honorary member of the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame after completing one of the largest Christmas performer schools in the US in late August. From fearing Santa Claus to embodying him is less a redemption arc and more a reminder about who gets to see themselves in the stories we tell!
He feared Santa as a child
Bradley Carlisle spent most of his childhood terrified of Santa Claus, according to his mother, Debbie Chadrix, The Guardian reported. He feared St Nick’s white gloves and equated them with the gloves worn by healthcare workers. The medical experiences were difficult for him, and white gloves only meant pain. So when Christmas came around, there was no sitting on Santa's lap, no whispered wishes, no magic. It started in 2023 when Carlisle's mother attended a holiday party thrown by the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta (DSAA). That’s when the organisation's executive director pulled her aside and said, “We need a Santa with Down syndrome who looks like the kids.” The group’s leader wanted to see if Carlisle would be interested, as they knew his passion for acting. However, she wasn’t sure because she knew her child was terrified of Santa Claus. But she accepted the offer and decided to give it a try. That December, he put on the red suit and showed up. There were more than 200 children. Chadrix can never forget the look on the faces of the children “when they realised Bradley looked like them – and talked like them, a little bit, too”. That’s exactly when Carlisle decided he wanted to be a Santa from then on. By his second Christmas season, the local media picked up Carlisle’s story. His popularity grew. A podcast appearance led to an invitation from Rick Rosenthal, who runs Atlanta's Northern Lights Santa Academy. Rosenthal saw something that others didn’t. It is the second-largest academy of its kind in the US, where actors train to play Santa, Mrs Claus and Christmas elves. When Carlisle arrived at the academy in late August, he trained alongside every other student in the programme. He received no special treatment. At the academy, he learned how to maintain his beard, dress the part and handle the impossible questions kids ask. He excelled in everything. On the academy's final day, Carlisle received word of his induction into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame. Phil Wenz, representing the Santa Claus Oath Foundation, called him to the stage. Carlisle was appreciated for his confident style while personifying Santa Claus. When Carlisle held up the badge, smiling as the audience applauded, it sent a message to the families watching: their kids can do anything. They can even be Santa! Members of the broader Santa community had pooled resources to create a custom-made suit just for him. His photograph will appear in Times Square as part of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, which starts on his birthday, October 1. Carlisle was honoured not just because he has Down syndrome, but because he is a talented Santa who can connect with people with Down syndrome in a way many other Santas may not be able to. And that’s really important. Because on a December evening, a child with Down syndrome will see a Santa who understands them in a way most Santas cannot. When the academy shared plans to welcome Carlisle to the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame, she had one request. She didn't want her son's condition to be the only reason for the honour. She wanted it to be clear that he had earned this place on his merits. “Phil Wenz knows what he’s looking at. And as soon as he saw Bradley as Santa and talking to people and interacting, he knew he had something different and special – and that’s why he got to the Hall of Fame,” she recalled. Down syndrome is part of the story, but not the entire story.
