LOCAL MAN GROWS HIS BEARD – FOR THE CHILDREN

If you ask the average citizen how they like to give back to their community, they might tell you they volunteer at a nursing home, help clean the city, or work in a soup kitchen. 

If you ask Jim Allison, he will tell you that he likes to dress up like Santa for the city of Sandy every year. 

Allison, 72, is a Portland native. Although he grew up in the Parkrose area, he seemed to find himself drawn to the countryside throughout his life. 

After high school, Allison decided to further his education at Portland State University. Initially, he planned to get his degree in history but soon decided to switch to the outdoor education program. This program led him to Canada for kayaking trips and other excursions to gain field experience. 

Allison enjoyed his time in Canada so much he ended up moving there. He first moved to Vancouver Island in the 1970s, which was, in his opinion, a good decade, but after moving again he was living a remote lifestyle for most of the decade, residing in a small fishing village in mainland Canada.

His service to the community around him also began at this time in life. In Canada, he taught school children for just over a decade before returning to Oregon. Around that time, Asperger’s was just beginning to be a more widely understood syndrome. So, he spent 15 years as a learning specialist with Reynolds High School, in the special education department.  

Post-retirement, Allison and his lovely wife, Susan, find other ways to work with the community.  

This is where the Santa costume comes in. Each year the Sandy Community Center hosts a “Breakfast with Santa” event to raise money for the Sandy and Boring Meals-on-Wheels program. People attending the event can get a plate, a coffee or juice, and for the donation of a dollar – a photo with Santa – aka Allison.  

The toughest part about being Santa is growing his beard out for the role, Allison said. It seems like he must start earlier and earlier each year. This year, he began growing it out on Oct. 1, and it still wasn’t the length he needed it to be. He said he believes he may have to start the beard growing process as early as mid-summer next year!

As you can tell, being Santa is not just a great volunteer opportunity; it’s a lifestyle. Just ask the mass of people, like Allison, who attend Santa con every year in Portland.  

When he isn’t getting stung by the bees he keeps (which only happens roughly 20 times per year, apparently), the non-bearded Allison spends his time visiting his favorite baristas at the local Starbucks or indulging in some friendly sales competition with his coworkers/friends at Foxtrot vintage.