GREAT BARRINGTON — Between wrapping presents, wrangling elves and mapping out delivery coordinates for gifts, Santa Claus has his hands full in the North Pole as Christmas Day approaches. Luckily, he’s got a dedicated helper right here in the Berkshires to spread the Christmas spirit in his absence.

Gene Salvi, 83, has spent more than 30 years donning Santa’s signature red cap and suit to greet families during an annual slate of December events. From tree lighting ceremonies to seasonal strolls, he’s become a beloved staple of the local holiday scene — so much that some of the children who’ve sat on his lap to share Christmas wishes are now parents visiting him with their own children.

“If it makes people smile, get a chuckle out of it, it’s worth it to me,” he said in a recent interview at his home in Great Barrington.

Gene Salvi, who has been volunteering as Santa Claus for many decades, gets shy kids like Wyatt Carbonel, 5, to come out of their shells by asking thoughtful questions about the things that matter to them, at the Great Barrington VFW on Saturday.

Over the course of his many years as a confidant for Christmas wishes, the West Stockbridge native has himself gone from being a father to a great-grandfather. At the center of it all is his love of making children smile, something he reveres above all else.

“When they look at you, you feel like you’re actually Santa from the sparkle in their eye,” Salvi said.

It all started in the early '90s, when Pat Salvi, his wife, hatched a plan. At Wheeler & Taylor Insurance, where she worked at the time, she noticed many of her colleagues had young children. Wanting to put together an all-ages holiday celebration that her coworkers could enjoy with their kids, she had a proposal for Salvi: Would he show up as Santa Claus to add some extra Christmas cheer?

It was the opportunity Salvi didn’t know he had been waiting for. He already had a penchant for donning costumes, both to cheer himself up and make others smile: He once surprised his son during his shift at a local supermarket by showing up in a San Diego Chicken costume, he said.

So Pat’s mother, Helen, made his first Santa suit. And the rest is history.

Moonlighting as Santa Claus fit well into Salvi’s routine. As a construction worker, his jobs usually slowed down in the colder months. After that first party, which became an annual event, he became a regular holiday fixture at local businesses and events.

Now that he’s retired, he has no plans to stop. “I’ll do it ’til I can’t anymore,” he said.

From left, Calvin Carlson, 7, EJ Carlson, 6, and Benny Carlson, 3, pose for a photo with Gene Salvi, who volunteers as Santa each holiday season, at the Great Barrington VFW on Saturday.

While most people see whitening hair as a dreaded harbinger of aging, Salvi recalled being thrilled when his own began to lighten — now he could better look the part. With his white hair, beard and eyebrows, he’s now the spitting image of Saint Nick. And he’s got the kind of sonorous voice one could easily imagine narrating “The Night Before Christmas.”

Like anyone who’s spent decades in their field, Salvi has developed strong convictions about what makes a good Santa Claus appearance. No fake beards; it’s got to be the real thing. The costume needs to be high quality, even if that means stretching your budget. (He orders his from the website Costumes for Santa). Santa should never expect payment, though he said he’s sometimes received a gift certificate or similar compensation for his appearance.

And he doesn’t “play” Santa Claus. He is Santa Claus.

Gene Salvi, 83, has spent more than 30 years as one of Santa's helpers, making sure Berkshire County children get their Christmas wishes heard by the man in the red suit.

Pat, who refers to herself as “Santa’s secretary,” prefers to stay out of the spotlight.

“I don’t do the ‘Mrs. Claus’ thing,” she said. “I’m not a costume person.” She’ll don earrings shaped like Christmas present boxes for the holiday season, but otherwise lets her husband take care of the dressing up.

Instead, she manages Santa’s social agenda behind-the-scenes, booking him for everything from public gatherings in Berkshire towns to private events for children with developmental disabilities. Every year, the couple have to field calls from local residents clamoring for an appearance. Events are often booked as early as June.

Salvi recently wrapped up his final holiday appearance of the year at the Great Barrington VFW, a free public event where parents could bring their children to meet Santa and grab a few candy canes. It was the cap to yet another busy holiday season. In a regular year, Gene usually appears at over a dozen events, starting immediately after Thanksgiving and leading right up to the holiday itself.

Gene Salvi, 83, chats with kids at the Great Barrington VFW on Saturday. “If it makes people smile, get a chuckle out of it, it’s worth it to me,” he said of his important holiday side gig.

The chief criteria for Salvi to make a Santa appearance is that children must be at the center of the event. For Salvi, a father of four with seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild, there’s nothing more precious than seeing a child react with awe and wonder.

“It’s nice to look at your own kids and see a different smile,” he said.

Though he said that his appearances can sometimes draw lines with long wait times, Salvi always lets each child talk as long as they want.

“Kids shouldn’t be rushed, especially on a holiday,” he said. While there’s the occasional impatient parent, families are generally understanding, he said.

Gene Salvi, who has been volunteering as Santa Claus for decades, chats with Liam Seward, 2, at the Great Barrington VFW on Saturday. The event is one of many Salvi participates in from after Thanksgiving right up until Christmas.

He’s also learned how to handle nervous children delicately, never pressuring them to get too close if they seem skittish.

“It’s OK,” he said. “They still get a present. That’s the important smile.” He and Pat have adapted over the years, giving children the option to sit next to Santa on a bench or nearby cushion instead of the traditional lap-sitting.

Throughout many Christmas seasons, Salvi has seen toy fads come and go. He tries to keep up with the trends so he can chat more authentically with the kids he meets, making him possibly the only octogenarian on the planet to know what a Labubu is. But over the years there have been reliable favorites: stuffed animals, Lego sets, action figures.

While “every year there’s a new ‘something,’” he said, “most kids ask for stuff that’s been around for a while.” Books are his favorite request to hear, as he loves to encourage children to read.

Whether the children are his own or someone else’s, he values their authenticity above all else.

“Kids are the most honest people in the world,” he said. “They’re very observant.”

Sometimes that radical honesty leads them to pose him a nervous question: “Are you the real Santa?”

“I just look at them and say, ‘Do you think I am?’” he said.

From there, he usually follows up with this response: “It’s all what you believe in.”