The "Christmas tree man" doing the Christmas Tree dance during the Long Bush Christmas Parade on December 25, 2012. Photo: VINO

Leon Jeffers in his Christmas Tree costume sharing candies to children during the Long Bush parade on Christmas Day. Photo: VINO

That mystery man is none other than Mr. Leon Jeffers aka Kazzack and this has been the third year that he has been out in the streets of the Virgin Islands entertaining persons, especially children.

This news agency caught up with Mr. Jeffers during the Long Bush parade on Christmas day (December 25, 2012) and managed to pull a quick interview with him. What he was doing was out of a passion to bring cheers to children during the Christmas season. He made his first public appearance with the Christmas tree costume in 2010. He was also loud in praise for the fairy lights which were provided by Radiotron.

This year Mr. Jeffers was out with an addition to his costume, stilted on a sheet of plywood and four rollers which allowed it to be mobile, was a herd of reindeer led by Rudolph the red nose reindeer. Dasher, Prancer and Dixon were certainly among the others following Rudolph. They were all made of cardboard. “I started in January but I had to stop when August came because I had other work to do for people.”

“I put my own money in this, nobody don’t give me anything but when everything come out everybody does praise it especially the little children and I mind about them,” he said.

The reindeer made it on the parade and managed to survive the route without Santa Claus and the sleigh but according to Mr. Jeffers next year the creation will be out in total providing the real picture of Rudolph the red nose reindeer, the herd, and Santa Claus and his sleigh.

Making his Christmas tree costume entertaining and child-friendly, Mr. Jeffers had with him bags of candies, which he distributed to children along the route, even as he did the “Christmas Tree Dance” for and in some cases, with them. Guess he had Willy Wonka and the crew of elves somewhere in a work shed, working all year long preparing the sweets, and who knows, they just might be packing toys to bring out for the children next year.

Hopefully, Santa Claus will be assisting in the distributions too and the bells of the sleigh carried by the reindeers will be out creating an additional spectacle on the parade of 2013.

The “Christmas tree man” was also out at the Boxing Day horse races at Ellis Thomas Downs and once again it was a treat for children although some adults stole a moment to take a photograph and even collected some candies.
Like the saying goes, “There is a child in everyone of us.”