As a kid, Christmas Eve is one of the most exciting nights of the year. Between the sugar rush from cookies, the anticipation of Santa and all of the traditions that make Christmas special, December 24 has a special place in a kid’s heart.
As a boy, John Dorroh knew this night to be one where his mother, Sue, would slip off for a few hours, saying she had a couple of errands to run. He never knew where she went.
That is—until 1990 after his mother passed away. Jon received a letter from a man who had worked with her at a toilet seat factory in Columbus, Mississippi. His name was Robert.
Robert wrote to tell John that every year on Christmas Eve, when his mother would slip away for errands, she was coming to his house.
“He said, ‘I don’t know if you know what your mom did for us,’ and I thought, ‘No, I just knew that she left,’” said John. “And he said, ‘She was playing (Mrs. Santa Claus) for my kids.’”
It turns out, Robert had a house full of children, and not a lot of money. Sue would play “Mrs. Santa” for the kids, and bring them things like shoes, clothes, toys and candy.
