Jack Russitano has a busy month of December when he dons his red-and-white suit and plays jolly old Saint Nick for a number of Los Gatos holiday celebrations.

Russitano, 66, has been Los Gatos-Saratoga Recreation's Santa Claus for more than a decade.

His welcome appearances have brought much Christmas cheer to town children and adults at events such as Santa at Town Plaza Park, breakfast and snack with Santa and family and education parties.

According to Russitano, a major part of his success during the past 12 seasons is having the children warm up to him.

“I try to make it so the kids don’t get scared,” he said. “I ask them questions and put some humor in it so they feel comfortable talking to me. For most of the kids, it’s a joy.”

It all began in 1999, when Russitano, who has a background in theater, met Janet Sumpter, recreation supervisor for Los Gatos-Saratoga Community Education and Recreation.

While both were acting in a local play, the actor scheduled to play Santa for Santa in the Park became sick and Sumpter, a lead coordinator for the children’s event, asked Russitano last minute to fill in.

“He drove down from Union City and did it for us,” said Sumpter.

Sumpter, who has spent 27 years with Los Gatos-Saratoga Recreation, said hundreds of families participate in its holiday programs every year. Countless children receive special treatment from Russitano, who also hosts family "Cocoa Party With Santa" events where they drink hot chocolate and sing holiday songs and board a royal coach to see the Fantasy of Lights display at Vasona Lake County Park.

“People come from far and near and the lines are long to see him,” Sumpter said. “He takes every child and looks them in the eye and has a personal conversation with them. This is why they come to see him.”

Russitano shaves his white-silvery beard at the end of every holiday season, and starts growing it again in June. He and Sumpter visit a number of homes during the holidays, a program that Los Gatos-Saratoga Recreation has been hosting for several years.

The duo still keeps in touch with a former Monte Sereno family who moved to Grass Valley, and they travel to the Sacramento suburb for a Santa home visit for the past five years.

“It’s been a family tradition,” Sumpter said. “The children are 13 and 15 now. We drive up for the day and exchange gifts.”

The holiday season is not the only month where the San Francisco native volunteers himself to the community. Russitano plays Santa to Los Gatos-Saratoga Recreation all year long.

He teaches dance and computer education, as well as water safety, lifeguard, swimming, CPR, and independent studies within Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District.

He also serves as a handyman around Los Gatos-Saratoga Recreation facilities.

Sumpter said that she is grateful for all the help from the laid-off manufacturing engineer.

“It’s wonderful how he can do all these great things at the drop of a hat for a small department,” said Sumpter. “It’s like he started a second career.”

After high school, Russitano spent nearly seven years in the United States Navy and then enrolled at San Diego State University where he earned a degree in engineering. He then came up to live in the Bay Area and work for a number of tech companies.

In 2000, he rode his bike from Seattle to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness for the American Lung Association.

And after having cardiovascular bypass surgery five years ago, Russitano shows no sign of slowing down.

“Life is the way it is,” he says. “Someone once told me, it’s not made for sissies.”