Usually you’ll find Santa riding his sleigh in December, but in Northern Michigan, he’s riding the waves.
“Funny enough, I always dreamed about surfing as a child. It’s always been an inspiration for me to see people surfing on water. It was. I felt like people were literally walking on water,” said Aurelien Bouche Pillon.
It’s a dream he turned into a reality. Aurelien learned how to surf in France, but he now catches waves on the Great Lakes.
“Moving the Great Lakes in the United States, 16 years ago now, I can’t believe it ... [I] started surfing on Lake Ontario every single winter,” said Aurelien. “It just makes me happy, makes me feel healthy, connected with nature.”
Aurelien has taken his surfing to the next level over the past few years, adding a little bit of holiday cheer.
“We get older and Christmas comes, and sometimes it gets cold. I said, what if I was just ‘Surfing Santa’ to remind people that life is beautiful? There are great things out there,” said Aurelien. “It’s a way for me to remind myself to not grow old, keep on doing what I love, stay healthy. By doing that, hopefully motivating people to also keep the smile and looking at life in a different way.”
Ironically, wearing a Santa suit and going all-out for the holidays is not something Aurelien’s family would have expected from him.
“Sometimes my kids say I’m like the Grinch, funny enough, because I don’t necessarily embrace Christmas, the way people would by putting decoration and buying gifts. For me, Christmas is more like an experience, and I feel like this Surfing Santa brings me more joy than actually receiving gifts,” said Aurelien. “[I] just love the idea of an experience that can bring joy to people.”
Surfing Santa has caught waves in the majority of the Great Lakes, but he’s not done yet.
“Hopefully next year under the Mackinac Bridge, going from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron. So we can say that Santa has surfed the five Great Lakes,” said Aurelien.
If you can’t find Santa in your chimney this year, don’t forget to check the Great Lakes!
