Former gang member becomes professional Calgary Santa

With his booming laugh and warm smile, it's hard to envision Douglas Craig in anything other than a red Santa suit.

But 34 years ago, this St. Nick wore a leather biker jacket and was a member of the motorcycle club, King's Crew.

"That kind of lifestyle it was just a way that is so foreign to what I do now," said Craig. "I had a relatively rough growing-up period involving alcohol abuse and getting in trouble with the law and being involved in gang business and being involved with drugs."

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He says he was ticketed and arrested many times and convicted twice for possession of narcotics. After two separate battles with drug addiction, Craig vowed to turn his life around.

Ordained minister

He became an ordained minister and has been teaching accounting at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) for more than two decades.

Craig has an A+ rating from students on Rate My Professors.

"With the willingness to change my attitude, to change my experience I was able to move beyond the entrapments and the addictions and the crime and violence," said Craig.

"I made a commitment during that time that if I could get my life back and make a change I would spend the rest of my life being in service."

For Craig, playing Santa is a big part of that. He enrolled in Santa School and started working professionallya few years ago.

"It gave me a good sense of love and peace and being able to do something nice to help people and to give them a good feeling and to give them that magic of hope."

Craig has become very popular in Calgary, with people young and old lining up to see him on Saturdays in front of the Plaza Theatre in Kensington.

"I remember one night I had this cute little Muslim girl that kicked and screamed and cried when her mother tried to get her off my knee, and then another lady ran up to the front to get on Santa's knee and she was 93."