Photo: Facebook / Donn Mason
One Santa is down for the count, so kids in hospitals, city malls and at private events and concerts in Oklahoma won’t be able to see him this holiday season.
Donn Mason has been working as Santa for the past 30 years. In all this years, he’s missed just one December of work for health reasons. This year marks the second time he won’t be able to do his Santa duties, because he’s been hospitalized for injuries sustained in a hit and run in Norman, Oklahoma, OU Daily reports.
It happened last Friday, when Donn was out with his wife to catch the OU’s production of “A Christmas Carol.” He was in an area with high pedestrian traffic and was crossing the street on a well-lit zebra. Still, he was hit by a car and the driver made sure to speed off right after the impact.
Donn suffered a broken left pelvis and a broken right leg, and he knows he will need time to recover. This means he won’t be able to honor any of the December engagements he had as Santa: on his last count, he will be missing at least 18, including the big Christmas parade and charity appearances.
“I cleared the southbound lane, stepped into the northbound lane – and this goofball hit me at 20, 25 miles per hour,” Mason tells the publication from his hospital bed. “I can’t do Santa Claus for this whole month. Which is a whole year that’s been knocked out.”
While this also means he will be missing out on the money he makes off these appearances, Donn is mostly upset about not being there for the kids. Every year, he travels all over the place in his red Honda Fit, with his foldable (and homemade) Santa thrown in the trunk, looking forward to meeting children and seeing their joy at being able to shake hands with Santa himself.
The city of Norman is also actively looking for a Santa who can step in for Donn.
It happened last Friday, when Donn was out with his wife to catch the OU’s production of “A Christmas Carol.” He was in an area with high pedestrian traffic and was crossing the street on a well-lit zebra. Still, he was hit by a car and the driver made sure to speed off right after the impact.
Donn suffered a broken left pelvis and a broken right leg, and he knows he will need time to recover. This means he won’t be able to honor any of the December engagements he had as Santa: on his last count, he will be missing at least 18, including the big Christmas parade and charity appearances.
“I cleared the southbound lane, stepped into the northbound lane – and this goofball hit me at 20, 25 miles per hour,” Mason tells the publication from his hospital bed. “I can’t do Santa Claus for this whole month. Which is a whole year that’s been knocked out.”
While this also means he will be missing out on the money he makes off these appearances, Donn is mostly upset about not being there for the kids. Every year, he travels all over the place in his red Honda Fit, with his foldable (and homemade) Santa thrown in the trunk, looking forward to meeting children and seeing their joy at being able to shake hands with Santa himself.
The city of Norman is also actively looking for a Santa who can step in for Donn.
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