ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – It’s the busiest time of year for Santa, and having his red suit stolen makes it harder for him to do his job.
Mike Osborne — aka Santa — of St. Louis, said someone broke into his garage and stole his suit and other gear from his car.
“Right through the door. I’m sure they didn’t turn the light on,” Osborne said. “My car was unlocked because you don’t think about locking your car inside your garage.”
Osborne said he carries all of his Santa equipment in a black bag, which he left on the back seat of his car.
“And they just swiped it and took off,” he said.
For the last eight years, the school bus driver has been Santa for more than 15 places needing him for the holiday season. Inside the black bag was full Santa gear.
“Over the years, you accumulate the bells. I had special boots. I had prescription Santa glasses,” he said.
Now, it’s all gone, forcing Osborne to order new gear.
He said, “$750 later, I had new boots, new suit, new bells, new everything, and I had to pay extra to get everything overnighted here so I could be ready to go again.”
Osborne said he’s not sure why his Santa gear was stolen but that it won’t stop him from spreading holiday cheer.
“My wife and I, we love Christmas,” he said. “And if we knew that somebody needed money, food or something, if they would’ve just asked, we would have helped them.”
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