Mrs. Claus’ “helper,” Marblehead’s Laura Best, is getting ready for her 39th trip on board the lobster boat with Santa at the Christmas Walk. Beginning in 1984, she has been there to greet hundreds of kids at State Street Landing and listen to their wish lists.
“The kids are absolutely amazing,” Best told the Current. “They line up for hours to see Santa and then sometimes they don’t have the courage to talk to him. That’s where I come in. I’m the grandma. I say, ‘Come see me,’ and before you know it, they’re in his face talking to him. I’m like the ice breaker for kids.”
Best says the children arrive with all kinds of gift requests.
“Some kids have a list that’s long as your arm, and some kids say ‘I don’t care, anything is fine,’” she says.
Over the years, Best has only missed two trips on the lobster boat with Santa — when her daughter was born and a few years later when her daughter was a flower girl in a wedding.
The only one to wear the custom-made Mrs. Claus outfit, she has worked with five different Santas.
“I’m an old townie,” she says. “My first boat was [with] Ben Doliber. He was a fisherman. He had a pot-bellied stove on board.”
Asked if one Christmas stands out from the 38 so far, she shared the story about the winter when she had just lost her beloved dog.
“It was really weird because a little boy waited in line and said ‘I just want to see Mrs. Claus,’” she recalls. “When he got to me, he asked, ‘Do you know God?’ I said, ‘No, he’s farther north.’ He had a sick dog and he said, ‘I want Santa to tell God to come and get my dog.’”
Best says she’s hoping for clear skies for this year’s boat ride, after last year’s Christmas Walk washout.
“Pray for good weather,” she says. “There’s nothing worse than seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus go down.”
Editor Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist.