So I was standing in line at the Post Office and overheard the man behind me — a man who looks like Santa Claus — tell the woman behind him that, yes, he plays Santa Claus every Christmas. He seemed, indeed, to be a right jolly old man. After the Santa Claus man finished his post office business, I introduced myself and asked him if he’d be willing to be interviewed for an article. He said, “Sure!” so we agreed to meet later at Grampa’s Garden, a health and beauty shop at the Tontine Mall where he works.

When I arrived, Mark Drinkwater (the Santa Claus man) was warmly engaging with a few customers at the counter. A few minutes later, we sat down to chat.

Let’s start at the beginning: How did a man like 63-year-old Mark Drinkwater get to be a Santa Claus like Mark Drinkwater? He’s always demonstrated a musical and theatrical bent, having studied arranging and composition at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He’s always possessed people skills, having served as a district manager overseeing stores in several states for Record Town, Inc. His last stop for Record Town was here in Maine, his home since 1989. He’s always had a big heart, as is evident from his 12 years of working for the State of Maine to help people with disabilities get placed.

Twenty years ago, Mark began putting his heart and looks (he often gets asked if he is Santa) to work playing Santa Claus in the local area. He says he has 5-10 gigs every year — all at no pay — playing Santa Claus at children’s parties, hospitals, nursing homes and stores. As an added bonus, his dog Max often comes along, wearing reindeer antlers.

“I love sharing the spirit of Christmas and making people smile,” he says. He especially enjoys his visits to nursing homes. “Many people in those places are lonely,” he says, “and my visit brightens their days. They love telling me about what Christmas was like when they were young.” He’s eagerly looking forward to wearing a new Santa Claus suit which is being made just for him.

Mark has loved playing music ever since his school days, always performing with a combo or on his own with a guitar. A jack of all trades, he even leads two churches: the Church of the Nazarene on Great Island and the Church of the Nazarene on Westport Island. “I do two shows every Sunday,” he laughs, “one at nine and one at eleven.” The term “shows” is apt, as he prepares and performs all the music in addition to leading the service and giving the sermon.

I asked Santa Claus, er, Mark Drinkwater what advice he would have for young people — other than being good for goodness sake. “Seek the truth. Get away from electronics. Love people. Love God.”  That’s pretty good advice for everyone it seems to me.

And here’s another lesson I’ve learned from my encounter with Mark Drinkwater: Sometimes you can find hidden treasures in surprising places — like the Post Office.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary or suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. [email protected].