Santa On Argyle

A red suit, a pocketful of candy, and a promise to show up—sometimes the simplest rituals change everything. We trace Chad’s journey from a childhood glimpse of “Santa” to stepping into the role himself, guided by a grandfather who turned music and kindness into daily medicine. Alongside Keith, we bring that legacy to Argyle Street, where smiles, small talk, and a gentle presence help turn a busy strip into a place that feels like family.

We open with respect for Mi’kmaq territory and move into the heart of our mission: a two-eyed seeing approach to neurodiversity that pairs tradition with practical, street-level care. Chad shares how playing Santa teaches skills that matter—reading cues, using a calm voice, getting on a child’s level, and building trust without pressure. Those habits strengthen mental health, support recovery, and make social spaces safer for everyone. The community’s response—from shop staff to unhoused neighbours—shows that recognition and joy can be powerful tools for belonging.

Looking forward, we’re taking Santa beyond downtown: recovery houses, women’s shelters, group homes, and seniors’ homes, with karaoke, photos, and a focus on bringing comfort where it’s needed most. We also share what’s next for the Big Bears Podcast—audio-first now, with short-form street videos on the way—to amplify stories of resilience, grit, and growth. If this mix of tradition, service, and neurodiversity speaks to you, tap follow, share this with a friend, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Got a place we should visit next season or a story to tell? Reach out and let’s make it happen together.

Transcript

Welcome And Land Acknowledgement

Keith "Polar Bear" Gelhorn 0:01

Welcome to the Big Bears Podcast, co-hosted by Chad Grizzly Bear Bunker and Keith Polar Bear Gellhorn. We would like to acknowledge that we are in Mi'kmaq, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq people. The people of the Mi'kmaq Nation have lived on this territory for millennia, and we acknowledge them as past, present, and future caretakers of this land. Our mission is to explore the intersection of neurodiversity through a two-wide-seeing lens, where we share stories of struggle, resilience, grit, and growth. We would appreciate it if you could listen, subscribe, engage, and share this podcast.

Meet Chad And AI Promo Work

Keith "Polar Bear" Gelhorn 0:50

Now on to today's episode.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Hi, my name is Chad, and I'm the co-host of the Big Bears Podcast, and I go by Grizzly Bear Bunker. I have a lot of AI videos that I make online to share our love and excitement for the community through AI videos of advertising our Big Bears podcast. It is a lot of fun and I really enjoy doing it.

Childhood Santa Memory

SPEAKER_01 1:16

I'm just on here to talk a little bit about what it was like having a grandfather that liked to play Santa Claus every year and how I turned out to have the same outcome later on in my life. My grandfather, when I was growing up, would always put on the red suit and go out and and give candy and stuff to the community and to other people's kids. And and most of the time it was with family members too. So I was around six or seven years old when I woke up one morning and I I really thought I saw the real Santa Claus. So I I went downstairs and I I snuck down and I could see this guy, you know, just a blimp off my eye, and he he was moving around, and I was like, is that really is that Santa? You know? And so he turned around, and sure enough, there was the beard and everything else. So I really didn't know it was my grandfather at the time. So I really thought I was uh getting to see Santa for the first time. So I ran right back upstairs and went on to the bed. I didn't want him to see me or hear me. I didn't want him to take my presence away. So it was really cool to understand later on in life that that was my grandfather, and you know, special moments like that can't be made all the time. So it's definitely a big joy in my life to always remember what my grand my grandfather did for me. So yeah, I was his sidekick, and you can ask any one of my family members. I was always next to my grandfather's side growing up, and he was definitely a big role model in my life. So anytime I felt dangered or threatened, or if I felt alone or if I really needed somebody, I'd call my grandfather and he would come pick me up no matter what. So it was a very special bond.

Grandfather’s Influence And Music

SPEAKER_01 3:25

I got to enjoy watching him interact with the community members and how he always liked to talk to people and he would he would he would do anything really for anybody and it meant a lot to me to see him do his live concerts and he would sing in a gospel bluegrass kind of way, band, and he was very fond of Johnny Cash, so he always always did a lot of different songs. So a lot of those memories, some of the best memories nowadays in my journey of life, where I've been healing and growing and trying to let go of the past, but to see the good the good medicine that came out of all of that to help me be the person that I am today, and I really appreciate my my life a little more than I used to.

Family Santa Tradition Grows

SPEAKER_01 4:21

So that being said, as I got older and finding out that my grandfather was doing this, my uncle Stephen decided to take down and do Santa Claus every year uh as the second Santa in the family. So my uncle actually still does it. So my uncle Victor also took place and and did become Santa during the year, just like my grandfather would. And I always I always thought of it as a really good idea to do, but I just never knew when I wanted to do it. Really, I I I've been obsessing over wanting to be Santa in the family for a long time.

Becoming Santa On Argyle Street

SPEAKER_01 5:03

And then just this year, when I met Keith and we got this podcast together, we decided that we were gonna be the big Santa's together and go downtown and give out candy to people. And where I work on Argyll Street, it really made me feel like maybe if I just treat everybody on this street like family, it will just be better for me down here. I can make this place my community where I feel like I belong or I feel safe at night when I'm walking through here because I know everybody and they know I'm not gonna try to hurt them. Just a big jolly guy who enjoys bringing energy and good energy and smiles to people in life, and it's it's a much better walk than trying to hurt somebody, so it's been a tenfold recovery for me. I've come around some some bridges and some some walls and overcome lots of lots of things in this this time around.

Community Reactions And Impact

SPEAKER_01 6:06

So really fortunate to have been able to participate as a Santa Claus this year for my first time. And not just my first time, we did it twice. People really liked it during Halloween, and I really brought the character to life. People really thought I was Santa. So it's really cool. It's really cool when people remember you as a Santa, you know, during the holidays and when you're at work and it's busy, and people go by and they say, Santa, Santa, I remember you, Santa. And the homeless people come up and they're like, Oh, I remember you, Santa. Yeah, you gave me all kinds of candy. Yeah, when are you gonna be Santa again? Well, not until next year, so you're gonna have to wait. Yeah, you know. It takes a lot to be a Santa, it really does. It puts a lot of pressure on you, it puts a lot of energy, and you you gotta be ready for the children, right? Like you gotta be able to communicate very well without making them feel intimidated.

Skills, Growth, And Gentle Communication

SPEAKER_01 7:10

And that's a really good practice for me, and it's really helped me grow mentally how I see myself as a person. So that's that's a lot of growth came out of just being Santa. So, you know, and I told Keith next year we're gonna have to do it again. You know, everybody really liked it. We brought a lot of love to the community, it was a lot of fun, and it's always good to give back. You know, it's always a great time to give back to the community. You know, we don't always want to forget about where we come from, so it's important that we support local and we we help each other grow in a good

Plans To Bring Joy Wider

SPEAKER_01 7:48

way. And yeah, I've got so many stories I could tell you, but I don't want to get too off topic. But it's that's why I wanted to share that with you guys. Whoever is listening, if you want to know why me and Keith were big Santa's, it was kind of both of our idea to go around and spread the love and joy to the community. Hopefully, though, next year we're gonna be hitting up some recovery houses, we're gonna hit up some women's shelters, we're gonna hit up some group homes, we're gonna hit up some what else? Old folks' homes dressed as Santa's and do some karaoke, some dance and make people feel good, you know, and some pictures, just bringing lots of joy to people. It's it's a lot of good times and good fun times. So next year is definitely gonna be pumping, and I cannot wait for that. So one day at a time, we'll get there. Life has spread pretty good.

Podcast Updates And Guest Invite

SPEAKER_01 8:49

We've been coming along really well with this podcast, and we're really enjoying it, and I hope everybody else is enjoying it. And if you uh would like to still be a guest on our podcast, you can let us know on Linktree. We have our own website. You can it's located on Instagram. You can go and find us there, and you can it have if it brings it right up to the website, so then you can see everything, and you can go to every link that we have for our podcast. So we will be doing videos again soon in the future. We just it's a lot of editing to do, so right now I've been just keeping it to audio. So for those viewers who like good videos, trust me, we have some ideas of what we're gonna be doing with that later on, probably this summer. So you might see us coming around with our microphones and trying to do like short little real videos for TikTok and stuff with people in the community. It's definitely in the process. Good ideas. So thank you for listening to the Big Bears Podcast, and I hope you have a great day. Goodbye.

Closing And Schedule

Keith "Polar Bear" Gelhorn 10:02

Thank you for listening to the Big Bears Podcast, a two-eyed seeing approach to neurodiversity. We would appreciate it if you could listen, subscribe, engage, and share this podcast. Tune in every second Tuesday at 7 a.m. Atlantic time for a new episode.