Santa Claus Is Driving To Town
Boyd Applegate never set out to become a real bearded Santa Claus. No, the calling found him.
The 56-year-old, who was last on StoryCorps talking about volunteering at the polls on Election Day, is a big-rig truck driver. He's logged nearly 5 million miles on the road.
"Santa Claus was a byproduct of truck driving," he explained to his sister, Rhonda Dixon, at StoryCorps. "Because I drive a truck, I can have a beard that's a little bit longer than most people."
But impressive facial hair wasn't enough to qualify him for the trade.
Years ago, while on the road, Applegate stopped by a Wal-Mart because his head was cold. He serendipitously spotted a rack of Santa hats, picked one up and plopped it on his head. Moments later, a 4-year-old boy walking with his mother yanked her to a stop and exclaimed, "Look, it's Santa!"
Applegate hasn't spent a single Christmas Eve or Christmas Day at home with his family in the 18 years since that encounter.
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