Meet the 14-foot Santa Claus cheering on the Blue Jays from Winnipeg

A Winnipeg man added a custom Blue Jays jersey to the inflatable Santa Claus in his yard.

Christmas only comes once a year – that’s because Santa Claus is busy cheering on his favourite sports teams the rest of the time right here in Winnipeg.

And to say he’s a big Toronto Blue Jays fan would be an understatement.

A 14-foot inflatable version of Santa Claus is towering over the city’s River Park South neighbourhood as the Blue Jays kick off their World Series showdown against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The jolly ol’ Jays fan is wearing a custom-made jersey created by his helper elf, River Park South resident Jay Porath.

He created the mammoth jersey using a king-size bed sheet and letters and logos made using a Cricut cutting machine.

“I got it going, got some materials, ironed it together, and at 4 a.m., the jersey was done!” Porath told CTV News.

Porath purchased the inflatable lawn decoration during the COVID-19 pandemic and Santa quickly became a prominent fixture on the corner of Warde Avenue and Paddington Road.

“I thought it would just be something funny my kids might like for a day or two, and it turned out the neighbourhood loved it,” Porath said.

Santa’s been rooting on sports teams ever since, but this is the first time he’s ever shown his support for a team outside of Winnipeg.

“It started with a Bomber jersey back in 2020 or 2021 when they were in the Grey Cup, so he wears his Bomber jersey regularly,” Porath explained. “For the Jets playoff run the last couple years, he’s got a Jets jersey going. Now, he’s got a Blue Jays for the playoff now, and my wife is hounding me to start making them for the kids’ sports teams.”

Porath says the best part is the messages he gets from people living in River Park South saying the super-sized Santa always brightens their day.