St Cloud's real life 'Santa' drops Christmas gifts in secret places

ST. CLOUD, Fla. - St Cloud's very own Santa Claus plans to do another gift drop tonight! While he says, he got the idea from someone else who did it in the past, he plans to continue the tradition!

"It took about 5 ½ hours to lay 7 gifts out last night," said St. Cloud's Santa Johnny Goode. "We are gifting toys to the community. We're taking a picture of the gift, somewhere recognizable to the public, and posting it on a popular FB page." 

Goode posts the gift pictures on Osceola Rants and Raves Facebook page after leaving the gifts in a secret place. The gifts are paid for by Neptune Chiropractic and Wellness, where he works.

"We barely have time to get away before people are posting they got it," said Goode.

People who find the gifts then, post their new prize. FOX 35 asked Goode, "How does it feel to be like Santa?" He said, "It’s a lot of fun. It’s probably the most fun I’ve had at Christmas since I was a child." 

He gives away several items, "Puzzles, magician sets, anything that I think I would have enjoyed as a kid."

There are also gifts for adults, like an air fryer. Penny Hurly-Cheslock talked about her new find. "It was fun, they got the family involved together. We just want to thank them for their generosity this time of year, it was great of them and well appreciated."

Johnny says he misses the days when he was a firefighter and gave out gifts to the public. He said he no longer fights fires after a back injury, so this is a new way to give back to the public.

"I loved participating in public Christmas as a fireman and this was a way to give back to the community and hold on to something that I’d lost," said Goode.

He said more gifts will be sent out before Christmas. He hinted about the next location he'll leave his next gift. "There’s a lot of locations near and dear to my heart. I will say there may be one possible outside a fire station."