Longtime Santa Claus fulfils Christmas wish of being Mtis Santa

When Lloyd Gwin first volunteered to playSanta in the 1970s, he loved it, he said.

Gwinwould ridearound on a snowmobile delivering presents to families of his colleagues at thevolunteer fire department in High Level, Alta.

But for him, the costume was always missingsomething. His holiday wish was to dress up as what he calls Mtis Santa. This year, that came true.

"Usuallythe Mtis Nation of Alberta has a Christmas party for all the kids here in the city and surrounding area, but this year because of COVID-19, like everybody else, those plans got cancelled," he said in an interview with CBC'sEdmonton AM.

The organization decided to do a video clip as part of a series leading up to Christmas, Gwin said, and they asked him to be Santa. Gwin, who is Mtis, knew this was his moment.

A Mtis Santa wearsa sash rather than a belt, mittens and moccasins instead of gloves and boots.In the video, Gwin readsfrom a book calledMtis Christmas MittensbyLeah Marie Dorion.

"It's very important to me because oftentimes we get blended in with the rest of society," he said."In the process, some of the traditions andthe culture gets washed away, so what the Mtis Nation is trying to do is to pass that knowledge onto the youth."

Gwin's message for kids this year?

"Be safe, wear your mask when you're out, wash your hands, and hopefully next year we can be able to get together with our family and friends, and to have a very happy Christmas."