Yule calling
Man’s Christmas mission takes him to Navajo

In this file photo, Gantt visits the Navajo Nation. [Independent File Photo]

By Bill Donovan
Staff writer

GALLUP — Tom Gantt gets the question all of time — why has he jeopardized his health and relations with his family to be an unofficial Santa to hundreds of Navajo families each year?

Over the past 12 years, Gantt — a trader who lives in Cassville, Mo. — has made more than 20 trips from his home in a huge trailer decorated with the drawings of Bugs Bunny and other cartoon characters to bring what he calls a “little happiness” to Navajo families living in the central portion of the Navajo Reservation.

Over the years what he has brought to the reservation everything from refrigerators and washers and dryers to stoves to heat up homes and churches on the reservation. He has also brought hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of clothing, toys and food. And bibles — hundreds of them on each trip.

He arrived back on the reservation this past Wednesday with his truck filled with the usual goodies as well as a large tent, plenty of chairs and lighting to be given to the Present the Truth Ministries in Chinle.

All of the items are from either direct donations — like the tent and chairs — or from money donations, which this year was used to purchase clothing such as dozens of warn gloves that he plans on giving out in the next few weeks as he travels from one church service or prayer meeting in the Chinle-Many Farms area.

It comes, he says, from the good folks he meets in his travels throughout Missouri and the surrounding states, people who have heard about the plight of the Navajo families on the reservation and want to share a little of their good fortune with the families they have heard about on the reservation.

Instead of his usual one or two weeks, he said he plans to be here five or six weeks speaking at churches and prayer meetings. There are no plans to go to Mexico because of the stories he has heard of tourists and others being ambushed and killed.

But he does plan on spending more time on the Navajo Reservation in the next few years.

He said that his speaking engagements are still not set but he expects that won’t keep people from learning where he is going to be.

“When people see my truck with the cartoon critters, they just follow me around until I stop and they say hi,” he said. “It’s always great to be here.”