THE MOUNTAIN TIMES
November 19, 1998    Page 7-B

Santa Goes High-Tech

By Scott Nicholson

A Boone man's love of Christmas and Santa has led him to start a year-round project that brings Santa Claus from the North Pole and into living rooms around the world.

Seigler West started his Santa website at http://www.santa.snow.org more than a year ago, and West now gets to play Santa any time he's on-line. West is a web page designer who has used his skills to augment his other work as Santa. West's love for the jolly man in red goes back to childhood, and for many years he's dressed up as Santa and visits friends' houses or those of the disabled. He also uses his own money to buy presents. West, who makes a convincing Santa with his full bear, said that the spirit of Christmas shouldn't be confined to the winter months.

"It's always been my favorite holiday, ever since I was little," West says. "I'm a Santa Claus fan like some people are Star Trek fans. I think he's like a mentor in a way. He represents good, good-will, peace, giving, and loving mankind.

"Jesus stands for that, too, but Santa has the job of giving to mankind, trying to preserve humanity and peace," West adds. "It's not just giving presents, it's giving from the heart. There's not a price on love or people or giving. He's a sign of hope."

West undertook his Santa web page last year, and has slowly built it up to provide many joys and services. People can post letters to Santa, and West will respond. He also plays Santa on a live chat through an ICQ chat program, usually on-line from 5:00 to 11:00 each evening. The page also features Christmas music, as well as a few less-than-serious lyrics to old favorites. The page also has the Christmas Story of Christ's birth as well as the history of Santa Claus.

West had a little help on the graphics, which were designed and customized by friends of his. The web page is also part of a web ring, which are related sites linked together so that a Santa lover can browse for more holiday fun.

West says that he answers all the letters to Santa that are posted, and it's not just children who want Santa's ear. "We're all children, regardless of how old we get," West says. "it's important to grownups, too. The page is there for the enjoyment of all people."

West identifies so much with the man in red that he says, "Sometimes, I feel like Santa Claus." If the only qualification for being Santa Claus is spreading joy throughout the world, then West certainly can fill those coal-black boots.

The Santa page can be accessed at http://www.santa.snow.org.

History of the Town of
Santa Claus, Indiana
The naming of the town of Santa Claus, Indiana.