Disclaimer: Writing this story was a delicate task. Although I’ve done my best to preserve everyone’s memories in a way that honors the magic of Christmas, the following story exposes the day-to-day identity of Norwich’s beloved “Santa Jack”. I wanted to include a fair warning so that readers can use their discretion if this story makes its way to young ears or eyes. It’s fair to say, though, that Jack Candon was the closest thing to “Santa” we’ll probably ever get, in every sense of the word!
We all have our own story of Santa Claus. Our own memories from early Christmases growing up: running downstairs on Christmas morning, mouths open at the sight of bulging stockings and presents under the tree that weren’t there the last time we checked, cookies and milk half gone, or milky-white outlines of footprints suspiciously close to the fireplace. The magic is unforgettable, and for those of us lucky enough to have met Santa before, it’s understandable why the jolly-old-man-in-boots-and-a-red-suit tradition has withheld the test of time.
“The First Gift of Christmas!” – Santa Jack aboard the Polar Express
But it takes more than a good costume and a convincing “Ho Ho Ho” to really pull it off. Underneath the layers of his velvety suit, and behind his dainty spectacles and a (real) white beard, Jack Candon (“Santa Jack”) always had what mattered most: a Santa-sized heart.
Imagine an endless line of children coming to sit on your lap, babies pulling on your beard and drooling on you, and being asked over and over again for a toy or trinket from the store. A parent’s worst nightmare, perhaps. When it came to Santa Jack, though, it was what he lived for.
It all started in 2007, when a new Santa was needed to greet children at the Hanover Inn. “[They] immediately asked Jack, just because he’s big and he had a white beard,” says Marty Candon, Jack’s wife.
During the holiday season, Santa Jack would make appearances at the Hanover Inn and Mascoma Bank, the Norwich Inn, Hartford’s Polar Express, and other events scattered across the Upper Valley. Soon, Marty took on the role of Mrs. Claus alongside Santa Jack, and together, they spread Christmas magic throughout many communities over the years.
“Some people have a lot of different Santas,” says Norwich resident, Chet Clem. “But Jack was the Santa that my kids knew.”
To the surprise and adoration of many, Santa Jack never tired from his post, and he took his responsibility to be the “real deal” quite seriously, though most of it, you could argue, came naturally to him.
“It wasn’t like he got into character because he was that character,” Clem says. “He just loved knowing things about kids that would surprise them…He loved maintaining that special mystery for kids.”
“He really sort of did look like Santa all year long,” says another Norwich resident, Brian Jones, who was also Jack’s doctor on the night of his passing in December last year. “He was in every way what the mythology of Santa Claus says Santa should be.” After Jack passed, Jones included a picture of Santa Jack in the medical record because “I thought it was important to capture,” Jones says. “This was such a core component of who he was.”
Santa Jack and Mrs. Claus in front of the Norwich Inn.
“I met Jack for the first time on the train,” says Scott Farnsworth, one of the Polar Express conductors in Hartford. “When Jack would come onto the car, he would stand with his arms open wide just inside the door, and would have wrapped the attention from every person on that train.”
As Santa on the Polar Express, Jack was completing 13 consecutive runs over the course of two days, hitching a ride from the North Pole back to the train station after each trip. Between the Polar Express and his various stations in Norwich and Hanover and sometimes beyond, there’s no doubt that Santa Jack has been forged in the memories of thousands of children over the years.
Santa Jack’s big personality and presence was balanced by his gentleness and careful attention to each child that he interacted with. “He had a very booming voice, but he spoke in a gentle voice to [children],” Marty says. “He was just spot on with every kid, every family,” Farnsworth adds. Since Jack’s passing, Farnsworth now carries a photo of himself with Santa Jack in his conductor’s cap, a memory that he’ll continue to bring with him on future Polar Express trips.
Polar Express conductor Scott Farnsworth carries this keepsake with
him in his conductor’s cap so Santa Jack is always with him.
Jack had three Santa suits, and he even got prescription Santa glasses so he could check his list and check it twice all while looking the part. He knew how to say “Merry Christmas” in ten different languages, and he studied toy catalogs ahead of the holiday season, which added to the magic, and, Marty adds, “He wouldn’t get his hair cut after the middle of July,” just so his white Santa beard would be long enough come December. “People pulled on his beard, and that was one of the things that really made them believe.”
“What I remember being struck by was just how intensely focused he was on the kid that was in front of him,” Jones says, remembering the conversation he had with his children after seeing Santa Jack and Mrs. Claus one year, all agreeing that Santa Jack was “totally the real Santa.”
“He didn’t think children should see Santa driving a car,” Marty says, who acted as Santa Jack’s chauffeur over the years. A Santa-red Volkswagen Beetle Convertible helped Mr. and Mrs. Claus to look the part, while their sleigh was in the shop getting some repairs done before the big night arrived.
Off-duty, not much changed for Santa Jack, besides his attire. The true meaning of Christmas and the character of Santa Claus were an inherent part of his being that didn’t cease when the bells and boots came off. Giving and spreading joy was always his speciality.
Jack and Marty moved to Norwich in 1977, where Jack practiced law for 40 years, and they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June last year. Jack was a good father to their son, Patrick Candon, and he was the caretaker of their family tree due to his amazing memory and affinity for genealogy.
The Candon family was always involved in the Hartford Norwich Holiday Basket Helpers, and when Jack saw the Christmas lists each year, he wanted to buy all of the things on the list. He would also pay bills anonymously for community members so that they could buy presents for their children at Christmas.
After Jack’s passing, sentiments and stories began to trickle in from neighbors near and far. “There were little gifts all through this year, and one of them was finding out all of the things he did for people,” Marty says. “I knew that there were things that he didn’t charge people for, because all of the sudden there’d be a bottle of whiskey at our door or a six-pack of PBR, which was his beer of choice.”
For Clem, who got to know Jack professionally and personally, it was Jack’s perfectly balanced personality that made him stand out. “He had that bold Vermonter ability to be funny and honest,” Clem says. “Jack [was] my attorney, but also the person I looked forward to running into at Dan and Whit’s.”
Clem, who was formerly a comedy writer, appreciated Jack’s sense of humor. “There are certain laughs that you know are extra special,” he says. “Making Jack laugh was such a joy.”
Santa Jack and Mrs. Claus in their “sleigh”.
Jack’s wit, coupled with his natural charm and altruistic heart, made him a truly special person, and the perfect candidate for Santa. “Although in a room, he was usually the biggest presence and the most fun, it was never to gain attention for himself, it was to make others happy,” Marty says.
The story of Santa Jack is one that will live on in memories for generations to come. He will be missed by his loving family and friends, and by the community of Norwich and countless children, especially at Christmas, when his loss and presence will collectively be felt the most.
“He leaves an impossibly large set of silly Santa buckled shoes to fill,” Clem says. “No one’s going to be able to fill those Santa shoes.”
