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Not everyone can play a believable Santa Claus. Sure, anyone can don a Santa hat, beard, and red suit and invite parents to plop kids on their lap. But to be a Santa Claus kids will forever cherish, you must become Santa Claus - and that process takes a lot of work. Chris Murphy has been Santa in the Boston area and in Raleigh for over 15 years.

Chris and his wife Karen moved to Raleigh in 2013 to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Daughter Shannon lives in the Chicago area with her husband Levi and their four children. Kelly is living Raleigh where she is a Sports Performance coach. Son Patrick and his wife Brittany and their 3 children live in Clayton.

Chris said his father, Ed Murphy, was his inspiration for portraying Santa. In the early 1970's his father, a former marine, first played Santa in Southern California for Toys for Tots, where the family lived. His dad was so authentic that he landed a job with the Coca-Cola Company, playing Santa in an animated TV commercial featuring the famous polar bears in 1993.

Chris first played Santa in 2010, while living in Massachusetts. Fund raising activities at their church in Raleigh motivated Chris to continue his Santa role in NC. Each year he focuses on using his 'Santa For A Cause' initiative to raise funds for a worthy organization. This past December, he helped raised $3,000 for the Lung Cancer Initiative of NC, in honor of a member of their church who recently died of lung cancer. Chris has often been told that he's magical with kids. As Santa, he has learned how to make a connection with kids in 1-2 minutes, something he can do, he says, because his heart is in it. And perhaps most importantly, to truly transform yourself into a magical being, Chris says that you have to really love kids - and believe that it's your job to be a beacon of hope and joy to them no matter what.