Santa, aka Richard (Rick) Pruneau, is owner of the Park Street Pub, a popular Andover hangout. Beyond a bar, though, it’s a symbol of Pruneau’s ingenuity, business foresight, and life philosophy: “You’ve got to give back.”
Pruneau has stepped into the iconic shoes of the grand giver of all time. Known to everyone in Andover and the surrounding townships as Santa Claus, he has a hard time getting away from this image. Blessed with luxurious white hair and a white beard from the age of 40, Pruneau was asked years ago by the Andover Fire Department to be Santa in their annual parade. It isn’t just the white hair, though — it’s the rosy cheeks and the twinkle in the blue eyes that make you turn your head, even in the summer, when Santa is in jeans and a T.
Pruneau’s family originated in Agen, France. From there, they immigrated to Windsor Mill, Quebec, Canada, a town with harsh living conditions because of its wood mills and the resulting toxins. “People died young,” he says. Pruneau’s grandfather left Canada in the early 1940s for the west side (“the French section”) of Manchester, N.H. It was there that Pruneau learned the French Canadian work ethic and the importance of community.
“It was a simple way of life. … Manchester was all three-deckers, and everyone lived in the same neighborhood. And family was entertainment,” he says. Pruneau remembers getting new shoes and an outfit once a year, for Easter, and eating out once a year, on July 4, after the parade. “My grandfather took us to a Chinese restaurant. And in those days, all the Chinese restaurants were on the second floor because the rent was cheaper and [because] the landlords wouldn’t put them on the first floor. You still see that in [Boston’s] Chinatown.” When asked why his grandfather chose to take them out on this one day, Pruneau said it was to celebrate being American. “We were very proud to be Americans.”
At 24, Pruneau moved to Andover to raise his daughter, Renee, who now works in homeland security. Originally in sales with Bristol-Myers, Pruneau gave up his suit job for a lifetime of business opportunities — in boutiques, travel agencies and bars. He owned The Beachcomber on Plum Island, but after “The Perfect Storm” of 1991, when he and others were trapped on the roof after the building filled to bar level with seawater, he bought a defunct bar in Andover and renovated it himself.
For him, the bar is about having a spot where anyone can gather, regardless of income or job, in much the same way his ancestors used to find community in their local bars. And in keeping with his Santa image, every Saturday at 5 p.m. they raffle off lobsters for charity.
Now a resident of Haverhill, Pruneau has traveled as Santa to many countries including China, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. He says he is treated with respect everywhere (“I can’t even buy anything when I travel; everyone wants to buy Santa stuff”), especially in China.
Being Santa isn’t problem-free. Pruneau recently got tired of the adults who, he says, feel like they own him. “Only in America do parents physically grab you,” he says. So he shaved off his beard and “retired.” But the Santa who took his place was booed, children yelling, “That’s not the real Santa!” “Beard or no beard,” Pruneau sighs, “I’m still Santa. … I will always be Santa.”
So, for the kids, he is re-growing his beard and getting ready to get back into his suit. Why? So he can continue to “let the [children] believe that the world is good. We always hear about the bad stuff. … for those moments, let them believe in something good.” The North Pole Santa would approve.
Remembrances – ‘Zat You, Santa Claus?
Pruneau has stepped into the iconic shoes of the grand giver of all time. Known to everyone in Andover and the surrounding townships as Santa Claus, he has a hard time getting away from this image. Blessed with luxurious white hair and a white beard from the age of 40, Pruneau was asked years ago by the Andover Fire Department to be Santa in their annual parade. It isn’t just the white hair, though — it’s the rosy cheeks and the twinkle in the blue eyes that make you turn your head, even in the summer, when Santa is in jeans and a T.
Pruneau’s family originated in Agen, France. From there, they immigrated to Windsor Mill, Quebec, Canada, a town with harsh living conditions because of its wood mills and the resulting toxins. “People died young,” he says. Pruneau’s grandfather left Canada in the early 1940s for the west side (“the French section”) of Manchester, N.H. It was there that Pruneau learned the French Canadian work ethic and the importance of community.
“It was a simple way of life. … Manchester was all three-deckers, and everyone lived in the same neighborhood. And family was entertainment,” he says. Pruneau remembers getting new shoes and an outfit once a year, for Easter, and eating out once a year, on July 4, after the parade. “My grandfather took us to a Chinese restaurant. And in those days, all the Chinese restaurants were on the second floor because the rent was cheaper and [because] the landlords wouldn’t put them on the first floor. You still see that in [Boston’s] Chinatown.” When asked why his grandfather chose to take them out on this one day, Pruneau said it was to celebrate being American. “We were very proud to be Americans.”
At 24, Pruneau moved to Andover to raise his daughter, Renee, who now works in homeland security. Originally in sales with Bristol-Myers, Pruneau gave up his suit job for a lifetime of business opportunities — in boutiques, travel agencies and bars. He owned The Beachcomber on Plum Island, but after “The Perfect Storm” of 1991, when he and others were trapped on the roof after the building filled to bar level with seawater, he bought a defunct bar in Andover and renovated it himself.
For him, the bar is about having a spot where anyone can gather, regardless of income or job, in much the same way his ancestors used to find community in their local bars. And in keeping with his Santa image, every Saturday at 5 p.m. they raffle off lobsters for charity.
Now a resident of Haverhill, Pruneau has traveled as Santa to many countries including China, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. He says he is treated with respect everywhere (“I can’t even buy anything when I travel; everyone wants to buy Santa stuff”), especially in China.
Being Santa isn’t problem-free. Pruneau recently got tired of the adults who, he says, feel like they own him. “Only in America do parents physically grab you,” he says. So he shaved off his beard and “retired.” But the Santa who took his place was booed, children yelling, “That’s not the real Santa!” “Beard or no beard,” Pruneau sighs, “I’m still Santa. … I will always be Santa.”
So, for the kids, he is re-growing his beard and getting ready to get back into his suit. Why? So he can continue to “let the [children] believe that the world is good. We always hear about the bad stuff. … for those moments, let them believe in something good.” The North Pole Santa would approve.