City Manager Daniel Valenzuela and his wife Suzanna Valenzuela are expected to be the 2025 Railway Museum’s Santa and Mrs. Claus, according to a news release.
“Behind that snow white beard is a familiar face in San Angelo,” the Railway Museum of San Angelo said in a news release.
Daniel, who has announced he will be retiring from the city next year, will ride into the Railway Museum on a Texas Pacífico engine Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. for the Santa Fe Christmas event.
He has served as city manager since 2012.
“It’s been the honor of my professional career to serve the City of San Angelo,” he said in the media release. “I’m blessed to have represented the community. It is bittersweet leaving because I will really miss the people I have worked with and the officials in every capacity.”
Daniel hadn’t thought that his next job move would be Santa Claus.
“I never in my life thought I would be Santa, but I’m finding it is really fun and I’m grateful to be asked,” he said.
Mrs. Claus is familiar to all railfans since Suzanna was the president of the Railway Museum Board for five years.
“She brought innovation and purpose to the museum and steered it to its current position,” the release stated. “The members of the museum’s Board are still asking for her guidance since she organized Santa’s Santa Fe Christmas for the last five years.”
She also never thought of being Mrs. Claus, but she was honored to be asked, according to the media release.
Earlier this year, Suzanna became the director of development and marketing for Meals for the Elderly.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: San Angelo official to be Railway Museum’s Santa Claus
Reporting by Rosanna Fraire, San Angelo Standard-Times / San Angelo Standard-Times
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