ABOUT JD THOMAS
It is not hard to see why JD has been referred to as a “Renaissance Man”. Though JD has spent decades serving as a Train Engineer, JD has also brought smiles to thousands of children’s faces as a Santa and story teller. He is a man of extraordinary experience, talent and ability and the myriad of experiences he’s had through his life has contributed to his multifaceted skills.
During the early part of each year and into the Fall season, JD delights groups with his Southbound Rail Tours, which allows JD to promote and preserve the history of Raleigh and the railroad while entertaining participants. In October, JD embellishes with a ghoulish element and becomes the storyteller of spooky ghost tales of Raleigh and NC, many including ghost stories related to the railroad. To top it all off, in November and December each year, JD sports his beautiful, traditional-style Santa suit as he brings laughter, warmth and cheer to homes throughout the triangle.
“Storytelling describes the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories and narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation or instilling moral values.” (Wikipedia)
JD has been working with STIR Raleigh in the role of Santa for 2 years now, and been a TREMENDOUS hit with our guests. “Brunch with Santa” in 2019 brought a great amount of exposure to STIR and our amazing Brunch while allowing families to enjoy some personal interaction with Santa himself. In 2020, we pivoted to “Cookies with Santa” during the week in the hopes that we could offer some assistance to the stay at home parents during the late lunch hour. Kids and parents alike were excited to meet a Socially distanced Santa while enjoying a few cookies and a Christmas story. JD is a genuinely caring individual, able to handle many unique guests and has been a great addition to our team as Santa, and as himself behind the bar here. We look forward to a continued relationship with Santa over the years to come! -
Chris Brett, Director of Operations at STIR 2020
The Southbound Experience Story
Southbound Santa began in 2016 when the regular Santa for the yearly AMTRAK Santa Express Train was sick and they needed a stand in. JD had been growing a beard for a few months and had received so many compliments on it that he decided to keep it, not knowing that it was the perfect accessory for his new opportunity.
The suit fit perfect and the “Santa Clause” was officially engaged. (this is from the movie “The Santa Clause”) Shortly thereafter, JD became the official Santa at the North Pole (The Boylan Brew Pub) for the Great Raleigh Trolley. Eventually the experience spread into the corporate world, private parties and community events. The SantaGrams began in 2019 and became especially popular during the summer months of 2020, COVID quarantine, when Santa would deliver a special personalized message from the north pole to children via video grams. During Christmas of 2020 when there were no opportunities for children to visit shopping mall holiday festivities, children could still get a special personalized message from the “real santa” via SantaGrams. Southbound santa would also visit with families and the children via “porch visits”. And even though most businesses had to forego having their annual work Christmas parties and celebrations, business owners could still offer Southbound SantaGrams to their employees and patrons. In 2022 Southbound Santa and Mrs. Claus had the pleasure of being the “face” of the holidays at Cary’s new multi use development, Fenton which opened for business in June 2022. Children visited Santa in a special igloo for photos, news from the North Pole, storytelling and on Pet Night, got to enjoy lots of canine licks.
Our Mission + Values
We value connection.
We value traditions.
We value inspiration.
We value hope.
Our mission is to provide meaningful, thrilling and eye-opening story experiences
that you will remember for years to come.