GOSHEN, Va. – A Rockbridge County man has played the role of Santa in the Goshen community for over a decade, but with an ongoing battle against cancer, he has decided to hang up his coat.
Meet Blaine Lawhorn, otherwise known as Santa Claus in Goshen.
For well over 40 years, children would sit on Blaine’s lap making their special wishes, but now, he needs a wish of his own to come true.
Blaine is battling cancer and for the first time, he’s hanging up his big red coat.
“It was the hardest decision I’ve probably ever made cause I just miss it. If you have never done it you don’t know,” he explained.
Perhaps a little bit of Christmas magic would give Blaine hope.
After hearing his decision, the community stepped up to bring the North Pole to Santa himself with gifts, caroling, singing, and of course another Santa, who was wearing Lawhorn’s infamous suit.
“It was beautiful. It was like ‘What did I do to deserve this?’” he said.
“We’ve always thought dad was special. We just never thought that he was that special to everybody else,” Leslie Lawhorn, Blaine’s daughter said.
But the community support on Friday night made him start to believe it too.
“I didn’t think I was doing nothin’ special but I guess maybe I did touch somebody.”