Santa is Real And He Delivers Toys in a Dodge Caravan Sleigh

Aaron Cole
by Aaron Cole

Myron Benford has been delivering toys on Christmas Eve to children around Detroit for more than four decades. The 71-year-old man converted a Dodge minivan to look like a sleigh, complete with reindeer welded to the front, that seemingly “floats” on snow. He hands out 200 to 250 toys to children who need Christmas, he told the Detroit Free Press:

Oh, it’s a year-round commitment. People think it’s just for one day. I’ve been preparing for this all year long. The day after Christmas I start packing up more toys, trying to wrap up more toys. Trying to find closeouts and so forth and all. So that when I come here, I’m ready to service any kid I see out there on the street.

Benford is Santa.

Benford said he’s had a few sleighs over the years, including some type of Volkswagen that he’s chopped and shortened. But this current sleigh, a Chrysler minivan of some vintage, stays holed up in the “North Pole” (aka Downriver) until its readied for Santa’s run on Christmas Eve by a team of elves.

Check out a 2011 video about Benford:

Benford is a retired Wayne County Road Commission employee, according to this 2010 profile by the Metro Times. He volunteered in the red suit and beard before taking on the persona by himself years later. Benford said he buys toys — with his money sometimes — on sale after Christmas and stores them to use later that year to deliver in his sleigh.

“It’s just the idea of seeing the fantasy of that sled pull up in front of your house and you get out, give ’em a bag of toys and disappear. It really builds up their feelings. It’s just miraculous,” he told the Metro Times.

Yup, this guy is Santa.

I swear my allergies always act up around December. Or someone must be cutting onions.

Aaron Cole
Aaron Cole

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  • Mikey Mikey on Dec 24, 2015

    Yes indeed... In a world full of pretenders.. Myron would certainly be a true humanitarian.

  • RHD RHD on Dec 24, 2015

    I would like to see how he stiffened up the chassis of that minivan after cutting the top half off.

  • Master Baiter "That said, the Inflation Reduction Act apparently does run afoul of WTO rules..."Pfft. The Biden administration doesn't care about rules. The Supreme Court said they couldn't forgive student load debt; they did it anyway. Decorum and tradition says you don't prosecute former presidents; they are doing it anyway. They made the CDC suspend evictions though they had no constitutional authority to do so.
  • 1995 SC Good. To misquote Sheryl Crow "If it makes them unhappy, it can't be that bad"
  • 1995 SC The letters on the hatch aren't big enough. hard pass
  • Ajla Those letters look like they are from AutoZone.
  • Analoggrotto Kia EV9 was voted the best vehicle in the world and this is the best TOYOTA can do? Nice try, next.
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