White Beard

Father August Guppenberger polishes his Christmas bells as he gets ready for his annual role as Saint Nicholas in Granny hansbauer's Annual Christmas Party for underprivileged children near Andrews North Carolina.

Are there two pastors at Holy Redeemer Church in Andrews, North Carolina? One in the summer and the other in the winter? Some people have been misled because the pastor, Father Gus Guppenberger, clean-shaven in summer, looks so different with his snow-white beard in the wintertime.

About August first, Father Gus lets nature take its course on his chin as he prepares to play Santa Claus for poor children in his area of the Smoky Mountains. He says that he gets all the pleasure while others do all the work of providing the only "Christmas" that some children have each year.

The real work, according to Father Gus, is done by "Grandma" Hansbauer who came to the mountains as a volunteer at the age of 73. Now at the age of 86 she still works many months to prepare a Christmas party for approximately 350 children each year. Grandma begs from her many friends to buy the food for fixing Christmas dinner for all of them.

Each child receives a present specially chosen and handed to the eager child from Santa himself. The presents are donated each year by the students of Mother of Mercy High School in Cincinnati. Some lucky girls are chosen to come to the mountains with two Sisters to assist Grandma with the food preparation on the weekend of the big party.

It's easy to understand what Father Gus means when he says he gets the pleasure while others do the work. He tells of some humorous occasions related to his wintertime appearance.

One Thanksgiving day he was visiting the Civil War memorial on Lookout Mountain above Chattanooga, Tennessee. The parents of a preschooler were having a difficult time with their little one. He was making quite a fuss, according to Father Gus, and no words from the parents could quiet the little guy. Father Gus just walked up to the child and stated, "Remember, Christmas is coming." The parents were astounded when they suddenly had a little angel in their care.

Another time, Father Gus was surprised when he was walking along preoccupied with his own shopping list. Two children rolled down the window of a car parked at the curb and began waving and yelling, "Hi, Santa! Hi, Santa!"

Sometimes Father Gus will notice that a child is looking at him with a real questioning gaze. So Father will teasingly ask the child, "Have you ever, seen Santa Claus when he was dressed in ordinary clothes?"

One little girl wasn't sure about this game Father was playing with her. She ignored his question at first, but later came up to ask him about a certain present she had received one Christmas. Father Gus then explained that he was not really Santa Claus.

Then with all the wisdom and emphasis of her four years of worldly knowledge she declared: "Well I know you are not Santa Claus - your beard is too short! But you do smile like Santa." Christmas celebration often echoes the words of the traditional song "Joy to the World, the Lord is come!" Father Gus does his part to awaken such joy to all who are young at heart in his role as Santa Claus. But most of all it is a reflection of the joy that he himself has found in his mission work among the poor.