Miller family feels strong connection to Santa

By Gina L. Miller

Reed Miller graduated from the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in 1957.

CARLTON – Terry Miller, deemed  “Gramps” by our granddaughter Kendall, has a direct spiritual connection to the official Santa Claus who circles the globe on Christmas Eve to deliver toys to all the children in one night.

You may have asked yourself, “How in the world does Santa know what every child wants for Christmas?”

Quite ingenious really. Santa depends on the SIA, “Santa Informants Agency.”

SIA Undercover Santas, Agents, Special Ops and new recruits are dispatched across the globe listening and noting every child’s Christmas wish. SIA, Undercover Santas can be found in department stores, toy stores, Christmas festivals and parades. Even those Santas at grocery stores ringing bells for the Salvation Army are new recruits hoping to be selected to become full-fledged SIA agents.

That’s how Santa knows who’s been good or bad. Santa is available to every child by way of the SIA, a secret agency who serve to preserve the spirit of Christmas.

High-ranking SIA agents are required to complete a rigorous training program at the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School, originally located in Albion, NY and now currently operating in Midland, Michigan. (To learn more about the school click here.)

While SIA agents gather toy requests for Santa at the North Pole, the elves are tirelessly working 24-7 on their computers, laptops, iPads, iPhones, smart phones, tablets, Kindles and portals, downloading texts, reading Twitter, IG, FB messenger and emails from all the SIA agents operating all over the world gathering children’s requests for Christmas.

So the rest of the Miller family Santa connection goes like this…..

“Gramps” had an Uncle Reed who was a high-ranking SIA agent and graduate of the original Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School during the 1950s, when the school was in Albion.

Uncle Reed served as an undercover Santa for the SIA at Edward’s Department Store in Rochester, NY and often walked in local parades and participated in SIA graduations from the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School.

Gramps never saw his Uncle Reed in his full Santa regalia because he was but a wee lad when Reed passed. But there is this one photograph saved by Garland Miller, Gramp’s father and  Reed’s younger brother. We keep this photograph attached to the back of the sketch of Uncle Reed in uniform.

Terry Miller holds a sketch of his uncle Reed Miller that was drawn by the late Dianne Dengel.

This sketch was drawn by a blossoming young artist, Dianne Dengel, in approximately 1957 when Reed Miller was stationed at Edward’s Department Store in Rochester.

Dianne’s story is impressive in its own and to say she was a talented local artist would be a disservice.

She was a prolific artist with over 30,000 portraits, including some well-known subjects such as Fred Rogers and Oprah. To learn more about this amazing female artist, click here.

I hope you enjoyed our Miller Family Santa Connection.