NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — Holiday lights are up in New Braunfels, but they don’t seem to be shining quite as bright this year.
The community is grieving the loss of a Christmas icon.
Tom Hohmann, known for his big smile and bigger heart, was known as the Santa at dozens of local holiday events. He died Thanksgiving morning, just a few days after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
Hohmann’s legacy is being preserved in thousands of photos taken with local families over the years.
Many holiday plans have been changed this year due to the pandemic, but in New Braunfels, Hill Country Santa and Mrs. Claus were planning to keep up their holiday tradition.
Every year the couple, also known as Tom and Cindy Hohmann, take pictures with local children and find out what they want for Christmas.
“The joy of Christmas is for the children and we always believed that,” Cindy Hohmann said.
That was before tragedy struck on Thanksgiving morning.
“It was just the hardest thing ever,” Cindy Hohmann said. “I still can't believe it happened.”
The loss is cutting deep across the entire New Braunfels community. Thousands of families made Christmas memories with Hill Country Santa over the years.
Cindy says they would usually do 70 events within six weeks in the heart of the holiday season.
Along with photo sessions, the jolly couple participated in local parades and even made home visits to families who couldn’t attend events.
“He was not a big ho, ho, ho, Santa,” said Cindy Hohmann. “He was the quiet Santa that would get down on their level and speak to them.”
To honor Hohmann’s legacy, the community is sharing their special memories which are preserved in time as holiday photos.
“The outpouring of all of it, love and joy from everyone—it just almost overwhelmed me to realize that we were making that big of an impact on our community and they were making the same impact on us.”
The rest of the holiday season won’t be the same.
Cindy knows no one will ever truly fill Tom’s boots.
She knows the Christmas memories will live on, however; and Hill Country Santa’s legacy won’t be forgotten.
“I want them to realize what a great man he was, how much joy it brought to him,” she said. “(Being Santa) brought as much joy to him and I as it did to the children and families.”
Tom Hohmann served as the commander of his local American Legion post. He leaves behind his wife, Cindy, a son, daughter and five grandkids.
If you’d like to share your memories or family photos of Hill Country Santa, you can post them on the KENS 5 Facebook page.