We asked current and former Edgewater residents to send us their memories of Edgewater Christmases. Here are some of the stories and memories that we received. Feel free to leave your Edgewater Christmas memories in the comments.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Dan Petro
One year Santa had to take a break and answer a fire call. Fire in a chimney in a house near 26th and Lamar. Santa didn’t make it until around midnight. Our Santa was Tony Noll.
If I recall correctly, at first Santa just rode the truck up and down streets, never stopping. Then somehow he started stopping at a few houses. Then folks called City Hall to get on the “stop” list. I have 8mm of my boys waiting for and seeing Santa. My dad would greet Santa at the curb with presents for the boys. Santa gave them candy filled stockings and a present. Great memories.
Charlie Bleifeld
Norman (Sonny) Leece, “Only a handful of people knew him by Norman” was Santa Claus in Edgewater around 68 and 69. He even grew his own beard. . It never seemed like Christmas to me until Edgewater and Downtown Denver put up their Christmas decorations. When I was younger I remember always going down to the Edgewater Fire Station to see Santa. Every year Edgewater Elementary held a Christmas show and all the classes performed. I was scared to death of Santa. And in first grade, my class was in our classroom just having finished our little song. I looked out the window of Mrs. Mayer’s 1st grade classroom and with a fresh blanket of snow on the ground who did I see coming into the school? Santa, “Holycow” one of my big fears was entering our school. We went single filed into the lunchroom auditorium to receive a Christmas socking. I made it and got my little stocking . To my relief Santa did not bite off my fingers! Merry Christmas ( A bit too early ) to all.
In 1967 the Concert Choir performed at the Hilton Hotel Downtown Denver. This was Mr. Grace’s first year as choir director. We got busted for swapping our choir wire clothes hangers with fancy wooden ones from the hotel. Even though we did a marvelous performance, I think the hanger ordeal stopped the Hilton performances.
My dad, Bill Baker was Santa for several years in the 80’s but teamed up with my Stepmom Barbara in 1993 to bring Mrs. Klaus along for the fun. From Maggie Hunt
Rhiannon Wenning
Jefferson choirs singing carols at the recreation center! Winterfest too! Celebrate and Jeff Set sang at Writer’s Square up until 1995!
The first Santa Tony Noll visits an Edgewater child on Christmas Eve
Lee Hogan Holden
In the late 70’s – early 80’s Celebrate would sing in Larimar Square and in 1982 three of us were full page of the “Special Events” page of the Rocky Mountain News, (myself, Brenda Warner and Mark Roberts) The Concert Choir also did performances at Lakeside Mall and a few of us got in trouble for pretending to be “big red bats” running through the mall and pretending to fly.
This is my husband, Al Hogan driving Santa to the holiday lighting ceremony in Edgewater in 1964. A few years later he became one of the Edgewater Santas. From Judy Hogan
Caryn Wittig Thomas
I remember the Christmas Eve without a Santa…1982 the Christmas Blizzard. That year Santa visited Edgewater on New Year’s Eve.
My little sister Wendy, Santa and I think it is Bob Gord on the back of the truck. From Caryn Wittig Thomas.
Judy Hogan
I remember when my husband Al was Santa he would finish visiting the children in Edgewater on Christmas Eve and then have to drive to Lafayette so we could celebrate Christmas with my parents. He arrived at my parents house late every year because each year there were more children to visit. At one point they had 2 Santas to cover Edgewater. One Santa would start at one end of the city and work west while the other Santa would work from there to the other end therefore they would not run into each other.
Santa, Al Hogan, on the Old Truck .. approx. 1974 /75. From Caryn Wittig Thomas.
J.b. McKenna
I remember going caroling with the Cub Scouts throughout Edgewater. Judy Johnson was our Den Mother.
Here is a photo of my dad Marty Wittig, in his Edgewater PD uniform. Christmas 1969. From Caryn Wittig Thomas
Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.
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