Denver’s Most Famous Santa Is Fighting for His Life Against COVID-19

This is traditionally the busy season for Bill Lee. The 72-year-old Idaho Springs man could be the most famous Santa Claus along Colorado’s Front Range, and he’s so dedicated to his role that he wears a beard appropriate to the Jolly Old Elf year-round. Lucky thing it’s also visually appropriate for mountain-man storytelling, in which Lee usually engages once Christmas is over.

But for two holiday periods now, COVID-19 has gotten in the way of Lee’s joy-spreading. Because of safety protocols, his Santa appearances in 2020 were few and far between. And while he’d hoped that 2021 would bring a return to normalcy, that plan was derailed when Lee contracted an extremely serious case of the disease. He’s been hospitalized for weeks and is currently on a ventilator. Although he isn’t currently intubated, that’s only because earlier this week doctors performed a tracheostomy – a procedure in which a hole was opened in his windpipe so that a tube could be inserted.

The decision to perform the surgical procedure on Lee prompted what son Brack describes as “a very awkward conversation of the type I hope I never need to have again. I had to negotiate what to do with my dad’s Santa Claus beard.”

Explains Brack: “His Santa beard is, in essence, a core to his personality. It’s a matter of his livelihood, too. But I was able to negotiate on behalf of my dad to only shave from the Adam’s apple down. Under normal circumstances, they trim or shave a much more significant amount of beard, but I was able to stress that losing more of it would dramatically impact his mental ability to heal.”

Retaining as much of that beard as possible is symbolic of the Lee family’s hopes for recovery. Despite the seriousness of his situation, Brack says the medical team feels that his father has a legitimate chance to pull through. But as Brack acknowledges, “It’s very, very slow progress.”

Bill Lee’s Santa specialty has been decades in the making.

“There are families that grew up with Santa Bill,” Brack says. “He would be their exclusive Santa Claus. He was at the Tabor Center for a long time, and when it transitioned to a new style, he moved over to Cherry Creek, and families followed him in droves. He got to see kids grow up before his eyes, watching them have kids of their own that they’d bring to visit Santa Bill. He’s an iconic figure in Denver.”

That’s clear from the comments on the GoFundMe page the family launched after Lee was hospitalized. Brack’s wife, Beth, has been reading them to Lee during visits, and even though he’s been sedated, Brack and Beth have confidence in the positive effects of such comments as “Bill has given so much to our family over the years and we would do anything we can to help him” and “Bill Lee has had a special place in my heart for over 30 years, not only as a friend but also as a Santa! I am sending healing thoughts, prayers, and angels to heal him,”

Lee’s current health crisis stretches back more than a month. On November 8, Brack recalls, “He went in for his annual checkup, and he was feeling fine. At the time, he even discussed with the doctor what kind of booster he should get after his vaccination – if he should mix and match or not. But a couple of days later, he started feeling ill. Having not experienced COVID before, he thought he had a cold or something. That next weekend, he even went and picked up a trailer full of hay for his ranch animals so he could be ready for the Christmas season.”

His condition continued to deteriorate, however, and Brack notes that “by Monday, he was having so much trouble breathing that he went to the clinic in Idaho Springs, and they immediately ordered an ambulance to take him to St. Anthony’s. After he spent nearly two weeks in the ICU on regular oxygen, they thought he’d gotten better enough to take him out of there. But his oxygen levels started dropping, and they readmitted him to the ICU – and a day later, they put him on a ventilator. He’s still on it, but after surgery, the tube is going into his throat instead of down his mouth, so the sedation should be less.”

In the meantime, friends of Lee are taking care of his animals, including four reindeer that he uses as part of his Santa presentations. Back in 2012, Lee made headlines when he was charged with 32 animal-cruelty charges in Clear Creek County after an automobile accident made it impossible for him to properly care for his herd, which was much larger back then. He ultimately pleaded guilty to one count, and most of his reindeer were given back to him – and the county paid him $15,000 in compensation for those that couldn’t be returned. He also got into a dust-up with PETA the next year, but such controversies are long in the past, Brack notes.

“The reindeer spread Christmas cheer to families and children all over the area,” he says. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to learn about how reindeer adapt in their natural environment and all kinds of fun facts.”

Caring for the animals isn’t cheap, of course, and other financial pressures have been bearing down on Lee as well. “He didn’t do very many appearances because of COVID,” Brack recalls, “and the ones he did were kind of impersonal – either waving from a sleigh passing by in a makeshift parade or trying to speak to kids from inside a snow globe, yelling over the sound of the generator fan. With the holidays providing a significant portion of his annual income, things were pretty tight to begin with. This year, he’s not earning that income, either, and at his age, you can’t switch your career path very easily.”

Nonetheless, Brack remains grateful for his father’s vaccinated status and his healthy lifestyle; as a runner who takes part in races across Colorado, Lee has to use padding to fill out his Santa suit. If not for these factors, Brack says, “I’m not sure if he’d still be with us. But he is, and our main goal is to get Santa Bill out and interacting with children of all ages in 2022.”

Click to visit the “Santa Bill Is Going to Beat COVID” GoFundMe page.