KURE BEACH, NC (WECT) –
If you thought you saw Santa on the back of a trash truck in Kure Beach Monday, you weren’t mistaken.
One trash collector is getting in the Christmas spirit, dressing up like St. Nick for the holiday season.
James Varner said he started wearing the Santa suit the week before Thanksgiving. He said his girlfriend bought him the costume because she thought it would be funny.
“I just decided one night that I was going to wear it to work and it just seemed to work and everybody seemed to like it,” Varner said.
Everybody including Bonita Sprinkle who lives in Kure Beach.
“I just thought it was great,” Sprinkle said. “We say he’s going to have to wash it a couple of times before Christmas if he’s going to continue to wear it. But I mean, where else are you going to find a garbage man that has a Santa suit on?”
Don’t worry, Varner said he has washed the suit twice already. He does admit, however, that wearing the suit makes his job a little harder.
“It’s a little harder with the suit because it doesn’t fit correctly,” Varner said.
It’s all worth it, though, according to Varner.
“Hopefully, it just gets everybody happy,” Varner said. “We’re a small town down here and it kind of brings everybody together and it’s kind of cool.”
Varner said he plans on dressing up as Santa every holiday season.
It’s his way, he said, of bringing Christmas cheer to the area, one trashcan at a time.