DeSoto wife finds happiness and representation through Santa Claus – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

It’s a collection that started on a whim 25 years ago.

Now it has become a DeSoto woman’s mission to find happiness and representation in a classic Christmas icon.

Pat Jenkins Hamilton is proud to share her Santa Claus collection with the world.

“I ‘Santa Shop’ all year round,” she said.

Your home is filled with over 700 Santa Claus decorations.

“There are at least 250, possibly more, on my Christmas tree all by myself,” she said.

She doesn’t collect any type of Santa Claus. She’s just looking for the black Santa Claus.

“It means everything to see this representation, to have this representation,” she said. “Growing up I had no idea.”

Hamilton, who retired from a career in education, said her desire to collect began with her first sighting of Santa Claus at a fair in Dallas in 1996.

“I worked for Dallas ISD and we had a conference in the World Trade Center. They have these showrooms all over the center, ”she said. “I couldn’t believe it. From that moment on I went hunting. It’s been going since then.”

Some Santa Clauses ride bicycles or roller skates. Others are filled with biscuits or climb a ladder up the tree. She even has a Santa Claus who works.

When she started collecting, she said it was difficult to find Black Santa in stores in the 1990s.

“I like the fact that there is a lot more now,” she said. “And still not enough. I hope the retailers understand the shortage and pass this on to the manufacturers. “

That’s why their collecting mission has stayed strong over the years – finding joy and representation during the holidays has become a fun hobby.

“I had no idea that Santa Claus could look like me, have the same shade, the same skin, the same hair. It moved me to tears when I saw the first Santa Claus, ”she recalls. “I called everyone and said god is there a Santa Claus who looks like us!”

Her visitors were also moved to tears when they saw her collection.

“A gentleman who has been here – a retired military veteran who has traveled the world several times – stood on the top of my stairs with tears down his face. And he said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. It’s amazing, ‘”she said. “He brought his wife, daughter, and grandchildren who were college students. They were overwhelmed. “

She hopes that children and families of color can find the same happiness that she feels in her home.

“I think it’s very, very important that all children are exposed to a Santa Claus who looks like them,” she said. “That makes me so happy and it pays off for me to offer something. I have something to give; you can share in my joy and happiness when you see my Santa Claus collection. “

Hamilton’s goal is to collect 1,000 Santa Clauses. She is on the right track.

“No question in my head, I’ll collect until I run out of space and I don’t think that’s going to happen anymore!” She said.