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Santa doesn’t just happen. He’s stitched, planned, insured, and invited. We open with Bulldogs basketball—an 8–0 surge, a 35–3 third-quarter storm, and Kobe Thomas lighting up the gym with a school record 10 threes—then step into a different kind of arena where belief is the whole game. Meet Rod “Santa” Anderson, the neighbor who treats every visit like a promise kept.

Rod shares how a rough season of loss and one charity movie night pulled him into the red suit, and why he treats the role like a craft. We dig into the details most folks never see: custom suits with removable fur so dry cleaning doesn’t turn them pink, the quiet necessity of liability insurance, and the surprisingly vital lesson of white gloves—keeping hands visible and kids safe. He talks logistics like a pro—november photo days, vitamins to survive flu waves, magic keys for homes without chimneys, and what happens when a present wrapped in an Amazon box needs a fast North Pole backstory.

Then the stories land. A little girl’s puppy tag pulled from Santa’s bag, a boy who “wanted to get a deer” and did, the house where bells roused sleepy eyes for the first time in days. Rod explains why he thinks of this work as service: let kids be kids a little longer, meet them at eye level, and give them your full attention for sixty seconds that might last years. It’s practical love in a small town that knows how to show up—at the Fieldhouse, at the parade, at the front door where the bells are already ringing.

We tie it back to Sikeston: a team that wins by sharing the ball, a community that wins by sharing the load, and a Santa who proves that presence is the most underrated gift. If you’ve ever wondered what makes small-town magic feel real, this conversation is your map.

If you enjoyed the show, follow, share it with a friend who loves local stories, and leave a quick review. Got a favorite Santa memory or a Bulldogs moment we should highlight next time? Tell us—we’re listening.

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