CINCINNATI — Bubba Herren spent this holiday season making sure everyone got a chance to meet the big man himself.
For nearly two decades, Herren has been volunteering his time by dressing up as Santa Claus at non-profits across the Tri-State.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Herren said to children at the Hopple Street Neighborhood Health Center on Friday.
“We do it anywhere from 12 to 15 times a year,” he said. “When you’re free, you get asked a lot.”
The meetings are a joint effort with Mrs. Claus — played by Herren’s wife Joni.
Joni picked up the tradition six years ago from Herren’s first wife, who sadly passed away of cancer in 2016.
“It’s so important for us just to give to these children and love them and make them feel special,” Joni said.
Throughout the afternoon, the couple heard Christmas wishes from kids, and handed out gifts to them as well.
One boy told Santa that he didn’t have a Christmas tree at home, asking Saint Nick where he should put his cookies and where gifts will be left.
Herren told him to put the cookies on a table, where they will be exchanged for gifts.
“We take a lot of things for granted,” Herren said. “Not everyone is blessed as we are.”
“Anyone we can bless, that makes our hearts happy, too.”
The moral of their holiday spirit is love, Joni said: “Love people. Love children. And you get love back.”
