Yes, Dr. Phil, there is a Santa Claus.

Dressed up as St. Nick, Ed Butchart—author of More Pages From the Red Suit Diaries (Revell/Baker Publishing Group)—recently gave away 300 copies of the book on Dr. Phil.

“I did a simple walk-on twice with toys that Dr. Phil was giving away to the audience. My lines were ‘Ho! Ho! Ho! and Merry Christmas,’ ” said Butchart, who has served as the official Santa for Stone Mountain Park in the Atlanta area in the last 19 years.

He also runs a year-round workshop and ministry, Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC), which refurbishes wheelchairs and medical equipment for those in need .

“I did have some discussions with some of the (Dr. Phil) staff about life in general, and I told them about FODAC and how God had brought it into being,” said Butchart, who is president and founder of the nonprofit organization.

Butchart, 73, plays the role of Santa at Christmastime, but he considers the job a year-round blessing. “I keep my beard year-round, so I am constantly recognized as Santa,” said Butchart, who was also scheduled to appear Dec. 24 on CNN’s NewsroomAM. “I have to play the role all the time. It is great fun to keep the mystique alive through these encounters.”

So what’s the top wish for Santa from kids this year? “Electronic games of all kinds,” he said. “Some give me a list (for) all of them, and I must remind them that nobody gets all of them.”

Ironically, the holidays are the hardest time of year for Butchart after losing his wife, Annie, on Christmas 2004. “There will be some tears for me on Christmas Day I am sure, but I remember her admonition to keep doing Santa because the kids love me and need me to show them unconditional love that they may not get anywhere else,” he said.

More Pages From the Red Suit Diaries and Butchart’s The Red Suit Diaries (Revell, 2003) have sold well, according to Baker Publishing Group. The Red Suit Diaries tells the story of Butchart, a once-hardened Marine who found God and began to serve others in inspiring ways.

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