POCAHONTAS -- Christmas arrived in a three-block stretch of Pocahontas early last week as it has every year for 35 years in the Randolph County town -- with an aging man giving gifts, assisted this year by a 13-year-old who's battling cancer, and some neighbors lending a hand.
Since 1981, John Patrick, now 81, has stood in his Maple Street yard during the week of Christmas, handing out toys to children and sharing stories with their parents. Hundreds flock to the neighborhood, and cars line the street that Patrick calls "Candy Cane Lane" during the week he hands out the gifts.
It's a yearly thing for Patrick, a former truck driver who was mayor of Pocahontas from 1991 to 2003. He's given away more than 2,000 toys a year.
"I've been blessed with so much in life," he said. "Until God tells me different, I believe in helping.
"For some children, this may be the only Christmas gift they get."
Patrick was raised in Phillips County and later lived in Kentucky. He and his wife, Anne, moved to Pocahontas in 1971 to be closer to her parents.
He began driving tractor-trailer rigs. In 1988, he received a national award for rescuing a 5-year-old girl who was injured in an automobile wreck in Marianna, Fla. He also was named one of Arkansas' top small-business men that year in recognition of his trucking operation.
A year later, he ran for mayor of Pocahontas and received nearly 80 percent of the vote.
"You can't vote against Santa," he joked about his campaign and his annual giving.
The Christmas tradition started in 1980. Although he and his wife were on the road a lot then, Patrick strung Christmas lights on their house. The next year, he built a Santa's workshop out of steel sheets he found on an interstate and began his annual gift-giving.
"I sat inside and waved at people who drove by," Patrick said of his first year of doling out gifts. "When they stopped, I'd talk to them.
"Now, they line up an hour before we start each night," he said. "I never dreamed it'd last as long as it has."
In the past, he wore a red Santa suit, posing for pictures with children and winking at their parents.
Health concerns have taken a toll on Patrick, though. His two daughters died of cancer within the past few years, and that's affected him.
"I never thought stress would cause so many health problems," he said.
He can't stand for long periods now, and his balance is waning.
On Monday, when this year's Candy Cane Lane opened, Patrick stayed inside his home for some of the night rather than venture out in the 22-degree chill.
Other people have stepped up to help keep the tradition going.
His friend Tommy Reed of Pocahontas wore the Santa Claus outfit Monday night.
"I asked him about five years ago if he needed any help," Reed said. "He just went through knee surgery, and he couldn't stand for long times. He told me to come to his home that night, and I did. He said, 'By the way, you're playing Santa Claus.'"
Reed has donned the jolly St. Nick costume since then.
Patrick's great-grandson Carter Green of Pocahontas wears a snowman suit.
Carter, 13,is battling cancer, receiving treatments in Little Rock.
On Monday night, he stood outside Patrick's home waving to children. On Tuesday, his parents took him to Little Rock for more treatments.
"It's amazing spreading cheer to these children," Carter said. "This may be the only Christmas some people get."
Despite the cold, Carter said he was "pretty warm" inside the thick snowman costume.
There are other helpers too: Another great-grandchild dresses in an elf costume. A friend wears a reindeer outfit. Others stop by to help sort toys into large bins in Patrick's garage.
Most people who drive by Patrick's house stop to gaze at the lights in his yard and talk to the costumed characters.
Some park along the street and walk to Patrick's house. Children sift through the toys Patrick has collected, choosing stuffed animals, balls, dolls and other items. He also gives away Bibles.
Instead of complaining about the traffic that clogs Maple Street each night for the week, neighbors embrace the experience.
The neighborhood is decorated with Christmas lights. Most yards have lighted candy canes framing the roadway, a nod to Patrick's Candy Cane Lane reference. Others have Santa Clauses or reindeer on display. One yard has a huge, glowing snowman.
"He's been wonderful," said Carol McDowell, who has lived on Maple Street for 43 years. "This is the joy of Christmas."
James McDowell said the neighborhood has earned a friendly reputation. More than 400 children stopped at his home for Halloween this year.
"I used to give candy to kids," he said. "They've grown up, and now I'm giving candy to their kids."
Renee Clark stopped at Patrick's home years ago as a child. This year, she had her children with her.
"We love it," she said. "It's a tradition."
Linda Prater has lived in her Maple Street home for 27 years. It's hard getting out of her driveway at night during the week of Christmas, she said.
"But it's worth it," Prater said. "John has added so much. It's special to us. It's a labor of love.
"I'll tell someone I live on Maple Street, and they ask where it is. Then I say it's Candy Cane Lane, and they know."
The yearly role has left its mark on Patrick -- both physically and emotionally.
One year, when Patrick still dressed as Santa, a little girl whose mother had just died asked him for the one Christmas present she wanted: to bring her mother back to life.
"I held it together and told her, 'Santy would, but I don't have the power to do that,'" Patrick said. "As soon as she left, I went back behind the house and cried and cried."
Patrick's wife worries about the physical strain on her husband every year.
"This year, he's had problems with his knees," Anne Patrick said. "I told him sometime you need to put a stop to some things. He needs to think about letting someone else take over."
A line of cars continued along Maple Street on Monday night. One family arrived in three cars, parking on the side of the street west of Patrick's home. Children ran to the bin to choose toys. Parents shot photographs of their youngsters with the snowman and other characters.
"Every year someone asks me if I'll do it again next year," Patrick said. "As long as I'm alive, I'll be doing this."
SundayMonday on 12/25/2016