Theresa Bettenhausen: Playing the Role of a Lifetime

By Jo Ann Kirby

There are hints: the sparkling twinkle in her eyes, the reality that Mrs. Claus and Theresa Bettenhausen have never been spotted together, and the fact that she has nearly a dozen guys moving boxes out of her house with the efficiency of Santa’s elves.

To the delight of her neighbors and the broader Lodi community, Theresa has been serving as Mrs. Claus since her firefighter son urged her to take on the role in 2001.
Steve Bender, who retired from the Lodi Fire Department in 2022 as a captain, said his coworkers asked him to invite his mom to play Mrs. Claus because they knew she was active in the community and she was already spreading seasonal cheer with all the home-baked goodies she brought to the firehouse.

“That first year, I didn’t have a Mrs. Claus dress. I wore a red Lodi High graduation gown with a Santa jacket wrapped around me and a granny hat,” she said. Steve told her she was a big hit. “They really loved you, can you do it again?” he asked. “But we have to buy you a Mrs. Claus dress; you can’t wear that.”

Now, she has two Mrs. Claus outfits. One has a voluminous skirt that isn’t the best fit for climbing in and out of the fire truck and the other is better for perching in the sleigh high up on the ladder truck. Both look like they were carefully crafted at the North Pole.

“I have to tell you, I’d never experienced anything like it,” she said of her first couple of stints accompanying Santa on his Lodi rounds. “The fire truck coming through just created so much energy. People coming out of their homes and waving. Santa saying ‘ho, ho, ho.’ Elderly couples would be standing with their arms around each other. Children would be running up and jumping up and down. It just made my heart so happy seeing all the joy.”

Theresa has fulfilled the role for more than 20 years. But now, she’s moving to Tennessee, where Steve and other family members have made their home. Several volunteers have stepped up to take turns carrying on as Mrs. Claus. Already, Steve said he’s working on getting her a new Mrs. Claus gig in Tennessee and her granddaughter has two appearances already lined up for her there.

Her neighbors in Lodi’s Lakewood district are sad to see her go. “My neighbors will tell you that when I put that dress on, I’m absolutely not Theresa, I’m Mrs. Claus,” Theresa, who was also active on the board of the Lodi Fire Foundation, said. Her neighbors have been spoiled since the Lodi Fire Department’s Santa truck made her block its first stop of the season.

“The kids always thought they were so lucky. They would see her coming out of the house dressed as Mrs. Claus and would ask ‘What is Mrs. Claus doing at Miss Theresa’s house?’ We would say, oh, they are best friends,” said Pam Castaneda, a longtime neighbor.

According to the City of Lodi, the Santa Truck has been a tradition for over 50 years. The truck is a 1967 GMC Hi-Ranger that was put into service as the city’s only fire truck in 1968 and retired in the mid-1990s. Now, it serves as Santa’s sleigh. It takes Santa, Mrs. Claus, and candy-bearing elves through Lodi neighborhoods. The sound of Christmas music fills the air as the truck makes its stops, collecting canned food for the needy. Area residents may have also spotted them making appearances in the Lodi Parade of Lights and at the Lodi Fire Foundation and Lodi Fire Department Christmas Festival.

Theresa learned quickly that it can be cold in that sleigh, and she would wear two layers of long johns. She also found herself on alert to keep Santa safe. “I honestly felt like I was Santa’s bodyguard because of the tree limbs. I would warn Santa to duck down a little,” she said.

“My role as Mrs. Claus was the role of a lifetime. I just loved doing it,” she affirmed. “The fire department, I consider these firemen to be my sons.” On a day in late October, they returned the love, helping lift moving boxes as she packed up her house. Like elves, they moved quickly and efficiently, and soon a full garage had been emptied and her moving pod was ready to go.

“You all come visit us in Tennessee,” she said to the firefighters as they took turns giving her a hug. “The firefighters, you know they love their town, they love their community.”

And they love Mrs. Claus. The firefighters hosted a surprise going-away party and had a special challenge coin made for her that features a smiling Mrs. Claus face.
Although Theresa won’t be riding the Santa Truck this year, readers can find the route and appearances at facebook.com/LodiFireDepartment.