Bradley Carlisle, a 37-year-old community theatre actor from suburban Atlanta, has become the first professional Santa Claus in the US with Down syndrome.
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Carlisle → become → syndrome
He was also inducted as an honorary member of the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame after completing one of the largest
Christmas performer schools in the US in late August.
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He → induct → August
From fearing Santa Claus to embodying him is less a redemption arc and more a reminder about who gets to see themselves in the stories we tell!
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we → fear → stories
He feared Santa as a child
Bradley Carlisle spent most of his childhood terrified of Santa Claus, according to his mother, Debbie Chadrix, The Guardian reported.
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Guardian → fear → mother
He feared St Nick’s white gloves and equated them with the gloves worn by healthcare workers.
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He → fear → workers
The medical experiences were difficult for him, and white gloves only meant pain.
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gloves → mean → pain
So when Christmas came around, there was no sitting on Santa's lap, no whispered wishes, no magic.
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Christmas → come → lap
It started in 2023 when Carlisle's mother attended a holiday party thrown by the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta (DSAA).
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mother → start → Atlanta
That’s when the organisation's executive director pulled her aside and said, “We need a Santa with Down syndrome who looks like the kids.”
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who → ’ → kids
The group’s leader wanted to see if Carlisle would be interested, as they knew his passion for acting.
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they → want → acting
However, she wasn’t sure because she knew her child was terrified of Santa Claus.
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child → know → Claus
But she accepted the offer and decided to give it a try.
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she → accept → try
That December, he put on the red suit and showed up.
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he → put → suit
Chadrix can never forget the look on the faces of the children “when they realised Bradley looked like them – and talked like them, a little bit, too”.
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Bradley → forget → them
That’s exactly when Carlisle decided he wanted to be a Santa from then on.
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he → ’ → ?
By his second Christmas season, the local media picked up Carlisle’s story.
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media → pick → story
His popularity grew.
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popularity → grow → ?
A podcast appearance led to an invitation from Rick Rosenthal, who runs Atlanta's Northern Lights Santa Academy.
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who → lead → Academy
Rosenthal saw something that others didn’t.
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others → see → something
It is the second-largest academy of its kind in the US, where actors train to play Santa, Mrs Claus and Christmas elves.
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actors → train → Santa
When Carlisle arrived at the academy in late August, he trained alongside every other student in the programme.
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he → arrive → programme
He received no special treatment.
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He → receive → treatment
At the academy, he learned how to maintain his beard, dress the part and handle the impossible questions kids ask.
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kids → learn → questions
He excelled in everything.
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He → excel → everything
On the academy's final day, Carlisle received word of his induction into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame.
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Carlisle → receive → Fame
Phil Wenz, representing the Santa Claus Oath Foundation, called him to the stage.
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Wenz → represent → stage
Carlisle was appreciated for his confident style while personifying Santa Claus.
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Carlisle → appreciate → Claus
When Carlisle held up the badge, smiling as the audience applauded, it sent a message to the families watching: their kids can do anything.
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kids → hold → anything
Members of the broader Santa community had pooled resources to create a custom-made suit just for him.
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Members → pool → him
His photograph will appear in Times Square as part of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, which starts on his birthday, October 1.
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which → appear → birthday
Carlisle was honoured not just because he has Down syndrome, but because he is a talented Santa who can connect with people with Down syndrome in a way many other Santas may not be able to.
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Santas → honour → way
And that’s really important.
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that → ’ → ?
Because on a December evening, a child with Down syndrome will see a Santa who understands them in a way most Santas cannot.
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Santas → see → way
When the academy shared plans to welcome Carlisle to the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame, she had one request.
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she → share → request
She didn't want her son's condition to be the only reason for the honour.
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condition → want → honour
She wanted it to be clear that he had earned this place on his merits.
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he → want → merits
“Phil Wenz knows what he’s looking at.
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he → know → what
And as soon as he saw Bradley as Santa and talking to people and interacting, he knew he had something different and special – and that’s why he got to the Hall of Fame,” she recalled.
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she → see → Fame
The Aporia
