Palmer couple says ho, ho, ho in the 50th state

Jerry Arthur sports a well-trimmed white beard and is in general a jolly man.

When he got to Hawaii on vacation last December, those attributes, plus the fact he was from "the North Pole," led him to play Santa Claus.

While on vacation, Jerry and his wife, Aedene, visited with fellow Shriners and Masons. Jerry was tapped to play Santa Claus not once, but three times while on vacation.

"He didn't have a clue he would be doing it, but he had a great time with it," his wife said. "We really got a kick out of it."

The Shriners raise money for childrens' hospitals, and that was the first site for his Santa Claus escapades.

"The kids in the hospital loved it. He looked just like Santa with his beard," Aedene Arthur said.

Arthur also played Santa Claus at three women's shelters while on vacation, and became known as Santa during the rest of his month-long stay in the 50th state.

"We were doing the Jingle Bell Run, and people were pointing at him and calling him Santa," Aedene joked. "And he wasn't even dressed in the suit."