Eugene Register-Guard
Dec. 14, 2025, 4:01 a.m. PT
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Despite his full, white beard, ruddy cheeks and jolly demeaner, Lee Bliven never envisioned himself as Santa Claus.
Bliven is a bit of an introvert, but 9 years ago, his friend at Waterford Grand assisted living facility asked him to don a red suit several sizes too large to fill in for an absentee Santa.
“I really didn’t think I’d make a good Santa,” Bliven said. “But when we went down to memory care, I saw how they went from grouchy and sitting all down, and they’d look up to Santa and their eyes would get big — they go back to being a kid again.
“It just touches the heart, so I’ve been doing it ever since.”
After his initiation, Bliven bought his own properly-fitted suit. But, rather than working at malls or department stores, most of his Santa gigs are at senior homes and hospitals.
This year, Bliven has more than a dozen volunteer appointments as Old Saint Nick. In addition to a string of assisted living and retirement homes, Bliven will be making visits to hospitals around the county: PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center RiverBend Springfield, PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center and PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center in Florence.
At his Santa appearances, Bliven said it’s not uncommon for families to bring their kids for photos as well. He’s happy to work as “Santa’s helper” by wearing the red suit for children, but his passion lies with seniors.
“Kids are always full of joy anyway,” Bliven said. “But you bring somebody from being depressed and ‘this is a holiday and I’m stuck here by myself, no family, no nothing.’ All of a sudden (they see Santa), and it’s pure magic.”
Who is Lee Bliven? Volunteer, senior advocate and fill-in Santa Claus
Bliven, who turned 75 on Dec. 7, admitted being Santa’s helper is just one part of who he is.
Bliven grew up in southern California. When visiting his sister in Twin Falls, Idaho, he met his now wife, Susan, in 1971. He said on their first date overlooking the Snake River Canyon, he promised she was going to marry him “whether she liked it or not.” The two got hitched in August of 1972 and went on to have two children, seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Bliven and his wife came to Eugene in 1983. Bliven drilled wells and service pumps for work. The couple moved around Oregon over the years, but in 2000, they discovered Susan had a disease that caused her to frequently grow tumors. She went in for what they thought was a simple appendectomy, but surgeons ended up removing 30 lbs. of tumors. Her tumors forced her in and out of hospitals and rehab centers.
In 2013, after Bliven’s retirement, Susan had a tumor removed from her spinal cord, which led to an extended recovery. While in a rehabilitation facility, he saw her mistreatment firsthand.
“One of the care facilities tried to kill her,” Bliven said. “They pulled the staples out of the surgical site and allowed spinal fluid to come out. They wouldn’t allow us to go to a doctor or anything else. At that time we were both very naive about what you could do and what you couldn’t do.”
Seeing the mistreatment Susan faced lit a fire inside Bliven, which he channeled into advocacy for all seniors.
Susan developed dementia after her many surgeries and bouts under anesthesia, Bliven said. They moved back to Eugene to be closer to their children.
Since returning to Eugene, Bliven has fully devoted himself to senior advocacy. His many volunteer duties more than add up to a full-time job.
He is on the board for groups like Lane County Coordinated Care Organization Community Advisory Council, which is the governing board for entities like Trillium and Oregon Health Plan. He’s a legislative advocacy volunteer for Oregon AARP. Bliven is also on the Eugene-Springfield NAACP Health Committee. He previously worked as a certified volunteer long-term care ombudsman from 2013 to 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
One of his biggest passion projects now is Lane Senior Support Coalition, of which he is president. LSSC offers grants to low-income seniors who “fall through the cracks.”
“When they can’t find anybody else, they come to us and I write a check,” Bliven said.
Bliven is vehemently against most long-term care facilities. With the help of an in-home caregiver, Susan can live at home, allowing Bliven to flit around town in his many volunteer escapades. He said he wished people were more aware of the mistreatment older adults face in these facilities.
“Most of the time, they’re put there and they’re forgotten,” Bliven said. “The only people they interact with is the caregivers. They don’t get the one-on-one love that they used to. A lot of them are depressed because of that.”
He said in these settings, some adults “fail to survive,” meaning the person dies because they’ve lost their will to live.
Bliven would like to see changes both in the healthcare system and in U.S. culture. He said most countries do not have the same high rate of placing older adults in assisted living facilities. He asserted older adults are not “throwaway items” as they seemingly are treated as in American society.
He said it’s the healthcare industry that’s driving the exponential increase in assisted living, nursing homes and other facilities. Because it’s a lucrative industry, he feels resources are being put into making more of those facilities rather than creating options to support seniors at home with their families.
“Our healthcare system sucks and it’s going to get worse,” Bliven said. “It’s all about money.”
Bringing joy to seniors through the magic of Christmas
After his first reluctant stint as Santa, Bliven fell in love with the work over time. He recognized the joy it inspired in older adults.
His work as Santa is truly an extension of his senior advocacy.
“I would say it’s for them, but it’s for me. I want to give back something,” Bliven said. “When I was long-term care ombuds, I worked with seniors and saw what they were going through. I’ve always wanted to create some joy.”
Santa’s visits make a real, lasting impression.
Bliven said a majority of the people he sees in long-term care have memory disorders. Although many who have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease struggle with short-term memory, many recognize Santa Claus. When they see him, it brings them back to their childhood.
Bliven pushes them to remember those good times, asking what they had on their Christmas list as kids, helping them remember their first Christmas and getting them to describe details.
“Once they start thinking about the good times, they just get that beautiful smile,” Bliven said. “I just wish that I could bring the joy all year round.”
What Bliven wants most for Christmas is donations to Lane Senior Support Coalition. To find out more, visit www.lanessc.org/gifts-
that-do-good.
Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at [email protected] or find her on X @mirandabcyr.