A local iconic figure of the holiday season at NorthPark Center mall in Dallas died last Friday.
Carl Anderson died at the age of 70, however, he left behind a powerful legacy.
The child psychologist from Austin had given several generations of North Texans cherished Christmas memories by playing Santa at NorthPark Center for over 30 years. He held special story time events, appeared at fundraisers for charities, and visited hospitalized children every season.
“Carl left an indelible mark on North Texas, bringing hope and love to thousands each holiday season as NorthPark’s beloved Santa Claus,” said Nancy Nasher, owner of NorthPark Center, according to The Dallas Morning News. “He was a beacon of light for visitors and a true testament to the extraordinary impact one person can have. We will all miss him dearly.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Anderson hung up his Santa hat ahead of the 2022 holiday season, passing the reins of his sleigh over to Joel Lagrone, an aerospace engineer at Lockheed Martin.
Oddly enough, before Anderson actually came to embody the figure of Santa Claus, he studied the iconic holiday figure as a Ph.D. student in the 1970s.
In 2010, he gave a talk on his research into the history of Santa at the Allen Public Library Civic Auditorium.
He stepped into the role of Father Christmas when he was in the middle of writing his dissertation after being inspired by children calling him Santa in the streets of Austin due to his long, curly beard.
In time, Anderson became known for being a truly patient and empathetic Santa, as attested to by the outpour of gratitude from North Texans upon learning about his retirement last year.
“Thank you Santa for the 14 years of magical Christmas memories we have with our boys!” wrote one woman on Facebook.
“Thanks for being a Dallas icon of good. Both our daughters visited you and we’re thankful our grandsons got to see you too,” wrote another social media user.
Anderson remained humble about his impact on others, even after he was inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame in 2012.
“It wasn’t something I had anticipated or planned for. It really knocked my socks off,” he told the DMN in a previous interview. “It became clearer to me that I had become a true holiday tradition for so many families.”
Anderson’s family asked that anyone wishing to pay respects to him make a donation to an animal rescue or charity in his name.