Hundreds of children would call their home around Christmas believing it was the North Pole after finding the Santa family number in the phone book.
The Grinch family often is asked if they are planning to steal Christmas.
Within seconds of hearing their name, the Griswolds expect almost-inevitable smirks or quotes from the popular National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation movie.
And when George Bailey sends emails, people often reply in disbelief, asking if he is the character from the legendary movie It’s a Wonderful Life.
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They are a sampling among thousands of people who live year-round with the comments that come with holiday-related names, but boy do they hear about it at Christmas.
Sometimes it’s a curse, but most of the time it’s a blessing or something they have fun with.
The names are the ultimate conversation starter, and a way to meet people who never would have engaged with them otherwise.
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If you have ever wondered what’s like to be named after Santa or a Christmas villain or a famous holiday movie character, here are four people who will give you an idea:
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Sheila Santa was in pre-school when she first realized that her last name was a popular one with other children.
Her parents were from Hungary and didn’t make a big deal of the Santa name but were Apostolic Christians and celebrated Christmas.
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The couple listed their family number in the public phone book and for years, Sheila would help answer the calls from children.
She would pretend to be Santa’s secretary and say he was busy in the toy workshop.
Or pretend to be an elf and tell them it was time to take Rudolph out for a walk.
Or tell them she was part of Santa’s family here in Ohio.
And for the few prank calls that came in from teenagers, Sheila would tell them they were going on the naughty list and only getting coal for Christmas.
“l’ll never forget my mom first answering those calls and then I started to take them,” said Sheila Santa, a family medicine doctor in Columbus for Equitas Health and Grant Family Medicine Residency. “Those kids would get so excited. Having that last name is always something I’ve enjoyed.
Sheila also enjoys being Dr. Santa. She used to work as an OB-GYN and has delivered about 200 babies, but there was one in particular that Sheila will never forget.
She was assigned to work the OB shift on Christmas Day while working at a hospital in Oregon.
During that shift, Dr. Santa delivered a baby boy for someone she worked with in the residency program.
“Being Dr. Santa and delivering a baby on Christmas was special,” Santa said.
She said the typical reaction is disbelief when she tells folks her name for the first time. But in December, the reaction intensifies and people constantly ask, “Did you say Dr. Santa? … as in Santa Claus?”
Sheila also is a violinist and embraced the Santa name in that part of her life by starting a string quartet called Santa Presents, which plays at weddings, parties and other public events.
“I’ve always enjoyed my name,” she said. “And the joy it brings other people.”
Living with Grinch: Family embraces last name's festivity
When Becky Blaser started dating her boyfriend Alex at Mount Union College about 20 years ago, she knew there might be one little issue if they ever got married, especially around the holidays.
And her older brothers wouldn’t let her forget that she was dating a boy named Grinch.
But Becky decided Alex was worth it, and 18 years ago she officially became Becky Grinch.
The couple still jokes that maybe they should have taken Becky’s maiden name.
“I actually enjoy our last name,” said Mrs. Grinch, 41. “It’s a good ice breaker when you meet people. Around the holidays, why fight it when, it’s a lot more fun to embrace it.”
Alex Grinch is the well-known college football coach who was the defensive coordinator for the Ohio State University football team before moving to coach at Oklahoma University and most recently taking a job in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California.
The family, which includes 10-year-old daughter Corbi and 12-year-old son Tyler, meet a lot of new people in their travels.
Wherever they go, they are sure to get a reaction over their last name.
And Becky doesn’t shy away from it.
There are Grinch signs and decorations around the house.
She has dressed the kids in Grinch pajamas and T-shirts.
The return address for the family Christmas cards even has the green Christmas villain.
So when another person asks the family if they are going to steal Christmas, or someone at one of the college football games is dressed up like the Grinch, they are ready.
“With Alex’s job, there are always jokes about defense,” Becky said. “I figure if people are going to call attention to it, we might as well own it first.”
Waiting for a grin: Bob Griswold loves the National Lampoon's jokes
Within a few seconds of telling someone his last name is Griswold, a grin will follow and sometimes so do all the famous lines from National Lampoon's iconic Christmas Vacation movie or another of the Family Vacation movie series.
“I don’t know what to say, but it’s Christmas and we’re all in misery”
“We’re gonna have the hap-hap happiest Christmas.”
“Hallelujah? Holy #$%@. Where is the Tylenol?”
“What is it? A letter confirming your reservation in the nuthouse?”
“I’m sorry, this is our family’s first kidnapping.”
Bob Griswold has heard them all since the Griswold movie series first appeared in theatres in 1983. The movies feature Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his family, whose attempts to enjoy vacations and holidays are plagued with disasters and predicaments.
Bob still finds the moves and all the lines funny, but not as funny as the reaction he still gets to his famous movie name.
“One of the movies was on the other night and I sent my boys one picture and they were texting all the lines,” said Griswold, 75, who lived in Cincinnati for 40 years but now is retired as an engineer and general manager and living in Bradenton, Florida, with his wife, Bobbie. “I’m not exactly like Clark Griswold, but everyone should know we put up Christmas lights and celebrate pretty good.”
Bob and Bobbie, who have two sons and two grandchildren, heard the first Griswold joke from a trucker while they were traveling on the Interstate back in Bob’s home state of Connecticut. Bobbie was wearing a sweatshirt with the name Griswold on it, and the trucker kept beeping at them until finally yelling, “Are you going to Wally World?” which is from the first Family Vacation movie.
Whether it’s giving their names to a host at a restaurant, checking into a hotel or giving an airline agent their names when registering for a flight, the Griswolds can almost always count on some kind of reaction.
Bob still has a little Clark left in him. Recently he and Bobbie participated in a golf cart parade in their community and he made sure it was decorated with lights.
“Once people get to know you, it’s not that big of a deal,” Bob said. “But when someone hears it after we meet them for the first time, I know that grin is coming. It’s just part of living life as a Griswold.”
A wonderful life: George Bailey relates to famous alter ego
When his parents decided to name him George Bailey, they hadn’t even seen the famous movie.
He was simply named after a great grandfather who happened to have the same name as the lead character in the famed 1946 It’s a Wonderful Life Christmas movie.
For those who haven’t seen it, George Bailey is a down-on-his-luck savings and loan manager who is reminded by an angel about all the good he has done in the world.
This real-life George Bailey works in IT for a financial services company in Cleveland. And when he sends email to those who need his help, there are at least a couple of people every week, and a lot more than that around Christmas, who respond by asking if that is really his real name.
“I was in elementary school and we were watching It’s a Wonderful Life right before Christmas break,” said Bailey, 39, who lived in Columbus his entire life until moving north last year. “As soon as the main character said, 'I’m George Bailey,’ everyone in class turned to me and I was, ‘OK, this is cool.’”
Bailey said he has watched the movie dozens of time over the years and can relate to the character in his own way.
Bailey studied theatre at Capital University and worked as a professional actor for years, including 10 with the Columbus Children’s Theatre.
He said he is engaged to be married next May, moved to Cleveland to be with his fiancé at Case Western Reserve University and had to finally give up his acting dreams to get a steady job with benefits.
He even played the George Bailey character once as a college student during a radio production of the Christmas movie. He thinks his famous name might have helped him win the role.
“We are both dreamers and both want huge things in our lives, and I see a lot of that in me now,” said Bailey. “I fancied myself an actor; I gave it up for stability, but I still have those dreams.”
@MikeWagner48
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