The Daily Yonder Palmer’s House of Toys Kids have their own way of judging what s real, and it s not necessarily based on the cost of the Santa suit.
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The Hazard High School drama club circa 1968. Adviser Evangeline “Dang” Palmer is far left. The author, Dee Davis, is top right. (Via Facebook)
At 17 I was the Santa Claus for the Walkertown section of Hazard. Rick Rosanova, the news guy at Channel 4, was Santa at the new Sears in the old bowling alley in another part of town, Lothair. And Bill Douglas was the city’s main Santa from Backwoods to Big Bottom. He had a $1,000 velvet Santa outfit (in 1968 dollars) with black calfskin boots and jingle bells on a leather strap. His fake beard was combed human hair and in addition to that he could play the harmonica and jig dance. Value add-ons at anyone’s Christmas party. I worked at Palmer’s House of Toys, a more humble operation. I had a belly pillow and a stringy white beard-wig combination that I ha