By Chris Genovese, the “Marketing Guy”
Growing up, I was told that Santa Claus was a “jolly old elf” (not my words). They said he worked hard and climbed the professional/social ladder of elves, eventually putting himself in charge of distributing gifts to “good kids” around the world each year on Christmas Eve.
What a scam that turned out to be!
I became skeptical by the time I was six, I had already figured out that ALL kids get gifts for Christmas, even the “bad” ones. At age seven I was sadly and 110% irreversibly disillusioned, as I accidently stumble upon a stash of Christmas gifts tucked away in the back of my parents’ bedroom closet.
And, as a kid that took things to heart and tried a little too hard most of the time, this information really affected me deeply. I mean, how was I expected to live my life and go through a whole year of being good, only to find out that the stupid bus stop bully got the same Evel Knievel stunt cycle and action figure that I got? (Please don’t tell him I said he’s stupid!)
It was only after I had “grown up” and began riding with ABATE that I learned the truth about Santa Claus. Not only was Santa NOT an elf, he was actually a middle-aged beer-bellied Harley riding biker, just like me!
My moment of Christmas clarity occurred during the very first WNY Riding Lions “Bikers Unite for MercyFlight” run in September 2021. Like many of the charity runs held that year, we had a whole lot of riders, and everybody was having a great time rolling up toward Old Fort Niagara. With a little over 200 motorcycles in staggered formation, we enjoyed making that wonderful rumbling noise that simultaneously gives “fair warning” to local residents and causes their excited kids to come running wildly out the front door, waving and smiling.
But I quickly noticed that the guy riding to my left was getting ALL of the attention from the kids. It was very obvious that, even though all of us riders were waving to the children, they were jumping up and down and waving back furiously at just that one guy.
At first, I thought I was mistaken. We were all there together, rolling on our throttles at the kids’ urging, and just about every one of us looked kind of the same. We pretty much all wore jeans and a beard, and all seemed to be “well fed,” if you know what I mean. If I were one of those kids on the side of the road, I doubted if I could tell if any of us was any different than any of the other riders.
But my popular riding companion seemed to know he was the center of attention, and his smiling and waving style were a little different; if not in some way perfected. He didn’t even have to think about it, and just continued to scan both sides of the road, making sure he made eye contact with each kid he passed. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought he was one of those V.I.P.s that rode in the back of a convertible during a parade, acknowledging his fans and supporters in all directions.
Being overcome with curiosity, I couldn’t help myself when we got to Fort Niagara, and I approached him saying, “Hey Bro, that was amazing. You wave to those kids like you’re Santa Claus or something!”
Without a word, Damian just smiled broadly and reached into his tour pack. And then I felt the hair standing up on my arm, as he replaced his half helmet with a red felt stocking cap with white trim.
“I am Santa!”
Since then, I’ve learned that my man Damian, who is a joker by any measure of the word, was NOT joking. Kids seem to know this about him, and they are drawn to him. He’s been doing the Santa bit for years, and it’s genuinely not an act for him. He (sort of) lives the life of Santa every day, and he’s always got that old hat at the ready, plus plenty of time and the patience to ask each kid if they’ve been good this year.
We kind of laugh together now whenever he asks if I’ve been a good boy. He knows me well enough, and I don’t try to bullshit him about that. And as long as I’ve been (pretty) good in the weeks leading up to his annual visit to Gowanda Harley-Davidson, I seem to be in line to get some genuine accessories and/or merchandise.
So take it from me. Santa is real, and he is a biker! So I hope you’ll treat Santa with the respect he deserves. Do NOT touch his bike, pull on his beard, or give him a hard time. Hopefully this article gives you enough runway to salvage the year for yourself. Be extra good for a little while, and join us at Gowanda Harley on Saturday December 14th!
