‘Santa Jim’ reveled in his role during the holidays
Newport News man played St. Nick for over 40 years
Whether it was Dec. 20, March 19 or Aug. 3 or any other day of the year, he was simply “Santa Jim.”
With his marvelous natural snow white hair and beard and always a happy smile, James “Jimmy” W. Hines Jr., of Newport News, portrayed Santa Claus at a variety of events and programs for nearly 40 years, most specifically during the holiday season. He died unexpectedly on March 30 at age 72.
To Hines, “Christmas was more than just one day of the year. He was Santa every day,” said his longtime companion, Joanne Brown. “It didn’t matter where he was, or the season; he was Santa 24/7. If he saw children out and about, Santa Jim would smile and chat with any child who came up to him.”
He touched many lives during his career as Santa, Brown added. His obituary even included a photo of him as Santa.
Beginning about 1985, Hines portrayed Santa first for Warwick Moose Lodge, where he worked. “He visited members’ homes when they requested, young and old,” Brown said. “He always loved to bring happiness to those around him.”
He worked a variety of jobs — among them cook and truck driver — through the years, before and after a brief stint in the Marine Corps. Prior to working in 2016 for Yankee Candle, he was employed for many years by Home Depot.
Beginning in 2012, Hines acted as Santa Claus primarily in the Greater Williamsburg area; he began a four-year stint at Busch Gardens’ Christmas Town. The first year he worked part-time, filling in as Santa when one of the veterans could not appear.
Hines was excited about his work, said Bill Martin, of Newport News, who worked with him several years at Busch Gardens.
“He was thrilled with the opportunity of making children happy,” Martin added.
Christmas Town was Martin’s first gig as a Santa.
“When first starting out, Jim always had a kind word and helped me craft my art,” Martin said. “He always had a kind word. He loved children and always had a sparkle in his eye for them and loved to make them happy.”
Working as a Santa mostly is ad lib, Martin pointed out.
“You can’t predict what a child would say,” he said. “Jim talked with me about having some answers ready, but stressed you have to be ready to answer almost anything.
“You never know what’s coming out of the mouth of a child, but Jim always seemed to be ready.”
Jim Brennan, who initially was a Santa at Busch’s Christmas Town, got a job working full-time Santa at Yankee Candle.
“After a while, I decided I didn’t want to be full-time at Yankee and Jim and I essentially switched places,” said Brennan, of Williamsburg. “He came to Yankee Candle as Santa, and I went back to Busch,” where he had to work only four or five weeks a year.
“Jim thoroughly enjoyed his Yankee Candle experience. He was jolly when called for and serious when necessary. He just had a feeling for the job, and folks found him fun to work with.”
Brennan added that he took “being Santa very seriously.”
Hines was “the very best Santa,” Carrollton resident Shannon Floyd wrote on a Busch Gardens Facebook enthusiasts page, which was flooded with comments about Hines. “He is the standard we hold for others.”
Floyd said her daughter was 3 weeks old in 2010 when she first visited Hines at Yankee Candle.
Julia Ward said Hines was especially wonderful with her twin boys who have autism, always showing them “so much kindness.”
“I know he is terribly missed by family but please know he touched our lives,” Ward, of Williamsburg, wrote on Facebook. “We will always think of him with fond memories and hopefully that will bring you some measure of comfort.”
Hines worked from 2016 until Yankee Candle closed in the spring of 2021. Terry Banez, formerly general manager of Yankee Candle and now chief executive officer of the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce, described Hines as a “wonderful Santa.”
“He was a terrific person and was the magic behind the Christmas spirit,” Banez said. “He was always jolly and happy.”
For the past three years, Hines represented Santa Claus in his white-trimmed red suit for Williamsburg Downtown, a nonprofit economic development organization, in Merchants Square. Children, parents, grandparents, friends — even pets — could set up times to visit with Santa Jim and get their Christmas photographs taken.
Ben Munson, president of Williamsburg Downtown, said his wife and her friends became very concerned about how children would visit Santa Claus when Yankee Candle closed. He thought, why not have Downtown involved? And Hines was the first person he thought of for the role.
“Santa Jim really had a heck of a following. It was a way to get folks downtown to have a magical experience,” Munson said.
The plan worked, and the first year, Hines worked from the Memorie Group real estate office on Prince George Street that had been converted into a Christmas setting with trees and decorations. That year, more than 1,200 people followed Hines downtown.
Because Santa Jim worked out of Munson’s office, “I spent a lot of time with him and heard his fabulous stories like infants just a few days old coming for photographs, and now they’re 8 or 10. He was quick witted about his Santa stories.
“He really loved it,” Munson continued. “He stuck to the role, no matter where he was. He was so genuine with the kids. He never lost his cool and would play along with them, looking he was asleep or crying.”
Hines was “a magical guy,” Munson said, and this year Williamsburg Downtown “will try to continue Santa Jim’s legacy.”
A funeral was held Thursday.