Elmer Dilger pulls up in his pickup truck with Santa Claus riding shot gun next to him.
He wears a red baseball cap that reads, “I believe in Santa Claus, IN,” with a picture of a cartoon Santa carrying a sack of gifts.

That was his campaign slogan when he ran for and was elected to Town Council 12 years ago.

Not only is he wearing the cap, but he’s wearing a dark green jacket with the same slogan written on the back with Santa’s face.

Underneath his jacket, is a white sweatshirt with an airbrushed image of Santa Claus’ face with rosy red cheeks and a sprig of holly on his red and white hat.

The Santa Claus riding shotgun is a life-sized waving plastic Santa complete with a fake beard and spectacles.

“When I drive down the interstate people have to look back over their shoulder,” he said. “Sometimes their conscious gets the best of ‘em.”

Elmer said he got the Santa at a yard sale about 15 years ago. It was once mechanically animated, but after years of riding in Elmer’s car from Thanksgiving through Christmas Day, its motion has become limited. Now, Santa’s hand is tied up with fishing line in a waving position.

“After you come out of the North Pole year after year, you get tired,” Elmer said.
As he drives down Balthazar Drive in his gated neighborhood, Christmas Lake Village, he waves to everyone he passes. He passes intersections named Mistletoe Drive, Candy Lane, Tinsel Circle and Sleigh Bell Drive, to name a few.
“Oh Santa!” one man shouted.

There were some double takes, but most of the people were familiar with Elmer and his plastic passenger in the small town of about 2,000 residents.

Along with being on the Town Council, Elmer is known throughout the community for his involvement with various charities and groups in southern Indiana.
He taught elementary school for many years but now spends most of his time giving back to his community.

He volunteers by cooking for the North Spencer Community Action, United Caring Shelter in Evansville and other local groups.
Christmas, for Elmer, “means giving, strictly giving.”

“It comes from the heart,” he said. “I think we lose the whole concept of the reason for the season. As long as your decorations are for a reason, but if not it gets pretty bad pretty fast. If you take Christ out of Christmas, then you don’t have much.”

Every year the Christmas Lake Village neighborhood sponsors an annual Festival of Lights, where the public is invited to drive through and see the neighborhood’s decorations, and collects donations for the North Spencer Community Action Center, a local charity.

Elmer helps distribute the donations to those who need it most.

“We have a lot of good people here,” he said. “It makes you feel good to work with people that really care.”

Different subdivisions within the neighborhood decorate to match themes such as “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Frosty’s Evergreen Forest.”

“There’s always large displays by professionals and electricians, but there’s a certain charm to these,” said Christmas Lake Village Property Manager Mark Kroeger. “These are from people like Elmer and me hanging off the roof on a Saturday afternoon.”

Elmer portrays the Big Man as well, or at least he used to. Before he had grandchildren, he played Santa Claus in southern Indiana every Christmas.

“My Uncle Jim was the first Santa Claus at Santa Claus Land before it was called Holiday World,” he said. “That’s where I first got interested. He got me my first suit.”

Elmer and Mark both said when they shop online or on the phone, they have to confirm their address multiple times because salespeople don’t believe that they actually live in a place called Santa Claus.

“A lot of people keep their decorations up all year, especially inside with the trees,” Elmer said. “You might say it gets old, but not for us.”