Bradley Carlisle was afraid of Santa Claus when he was a little kid. Now, at 37, the community theater actor from an Atlanta suburb has become one himself, and on August 23 he was inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame as the first professional Santa with Down syndrome in the United States.
The honor was announced and presented by Phil Wenz, a representative of the Santa Claus Oath Foundation, who handed Carlisle his hall of fame badge that day. According to UA.NEWS, Carlisle first put on the red suit in 2023, playing Santa at a Christmas event hosted by the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta. The organization's executive director said at the time that children at the celebration needed a Santa with Down syndrome who looked like them.
That first appearance turned into something bigger. Carlisle has since spoken with more than 200 children connected to the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta, an organization founded by a small group of parents in 1979 that now serves roughly 800 families across 18 counties in the greater Atlanta region, according to the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta. Carlisle has said he likes being Santa because he wants to help children.
Training at One of the Country's Largest Santa Schools
Carlisle's path to professional Santa work ran through the Northern Lights Santa Academy, which invited him to a four-day course. The academy, founded in metro Atlanta in 2016 by Rick Rosenthal, trains participants to perform not just as Santa but as Mrs. Claus and Christmas elves, and it is described as the second-largest school for Christmas-role performers in the United States, per UA.NEWS. Sessions typically draw somewhere between 75 and 115 students, according to North Georgia Living, and the curriculum covers everything from costume selection and beard care to answering difficult questions from children, including questions about the loss of loved ones or serious illness.
Academy dean Rick Rosenthal, an Orthodox Jewish Santa performer who has served as the official Santa for both the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Falcons since 2013, said Carlisle deserved recognition because of his special sensitivity toward people with Down syndrome. Rosenthal has played Santa since 1968 and runs a national booking agency, according to The Forward.
Carlisle's mother, Debbie Cheddricks, has spoken about her son's childhood fear of Santa and his difficult medical experience. Carlisle has also said his white gloves carry personal meaning, associating them with the gloves worn by medical workers who cared for him during a difficult medical experience, per UA.NEWS.
A Hall of Fame Rooted in Santa History
The International Santa Claus Hall of Fame evaluates nominees on career longevity, community charity work, and unique contributions to the legend of Santa Claus, according to WSB-TV. Wenz himself was among the first inductees in 2010, and he has portrayed Santa professionally for more than four decades.
Wenz is also tied to the Santa Claus Oath, a set of eight ethical principles for holiday performers that he created in April 2008. The oath drew inspiration from 20th-century Santas Charles W. Howard and Jim Yellig, according to the Orleans Hub. Formal Santa instruction in the U.S. traces back even further, to 1937, when Howard opened the nation's first Santa school in Albion, New York, to standardize costuming, beard care, and child communication.
Members of the Santa Claus community also stepped in to cover the cost of a custom-tailored suit for Carlisle, a gesture that speaks to how closely the tight-knit professional Santa world has embraced his induction.
Times Square Spotlight Ahead of Awareness Month
Carlisle's photo will be displayed as part of a one-hour video presentation on jumbo screens in New York's Times Square, scheduled for September 12, 2026, during the NYC Buddy Walk. October 1 marks the official start of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month and is Carlisle's birthday. The National Down Syndrome Society selects approximately 500 individuals each year for the presentation, according to KENS-TV.
Down syndrome is a chromosomal condition. Carlisle's recognition highlights broader representation in the professional Santa industry.
According to ADA.gov, an earlier settlement agreement required Atlanta to survey municipal facilities and programs and modify parking, entrances and paths of travel for accessibility.
Despite the national spotlight, Carlisle has decided to continue serving as the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta's Santa, returning to the role that started it all in 2023. Carlisle's return to the role continues the work that started it all in 2023.
