Stanley Christmas, of Eastpointe, brought his warm spirit to America’s Thanksgiving Parade

EASTPOINTE/GROSSE POINTE CITY/DETROIT — Entering a hospital can be stressful, but with his warm smile and energetic greeting, Corewell Health Beaumont Grosse Pointe Hospital security officer Stanley Christmas tries to make it feel welcoming.

“You’re the one who sets the tone for their experience,” Christmas said. “My job is to change that attitude into something positive. It takes their mind away from that anxiety. And, it sets the tone for (their experience with) other (hospital) departments.”

His kind demeanor and positive attitude have made a lasting impact on everyone from patients to employees over the last 18 years — during times when the hospital was still known as Bon Secours and Beaumont — and made such an impression on new Corewell Health East President Lamont Yoder that Yoder invited Christmas to appear on Corewell Health’s float in America’s Thanksgiving Parade in downtown Detroit Nov. 28. The fittingly named Christmas is one of only four people, out of thousands of hospital system employees, who was on the float.

“I was so overjoyed,” Christmas said of being asked to appear in the parade. “I could barely hold the tears back.”

Christmas said afterward by email that being a part of the parade “was an incredible experience for me.”

Christmas, 75, lives in Eastpointe with his wife, a nurse. Like so many metro Detroiters, the parade holds a special place in his heart.

“I had been to the parade on numerous occasions as a child,” Christmas said. “I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be in the parade.”

“It’s pretty perfect for him,” said Betsy Schulte, director of volunteer services for Corewell Health’s Troy and Grosse Pointe City hospitals.

Schulte said Yoder “met Stanley — and you don’t forget Stanley.” But Christmas didn’t know at the time that the man he greeted with his typical welcome was a hospital bigwig — not that it would have mattered if he had.

“This is what I love about Stanley — it doesn’t matter who you are. You could be homeless or you could be the head of this organization — Stanley treats everyone the same,” Schulte said. “I’ve never seen anyone not greeted warmly.”

Christmas, who earned a degree in criminal justice from Wayne State University, had been trained by the Michigan State Police and was a certified law enforcement officer trained to work in settings like hospitals and movie theaters after 9/11. He said he worked for an organization that asked him to run their front desk.

“That’s when I first started to get into greeting,” Christmas said.

He retired from that job, but when his wife saw that Christmas was mostly spending his retirement in front of the television, she encouraged him to return to work because she knew it would be better for him to be around people. Christmas said it was his wife who spotted an ad for a security officer position at what was then Bon Secours Hospital.

Christmas has faced everything from expectant moms going into labor to people who’ve collapsed upon entering the hospital doors. He handles it all with calmness and compassion.

“I call it situational service,” Christmas said. “I’m always looking for what people need.”

Those who know him say Christmas has a gift for doing and saying the right thing.

“No matter what, he tries to make them feel good as they make their first step in their (medical) journey, whether they’re happy or sad,” a hospital spokesperson said.

Schulte said many of her volunteers ask specifically to work on the days Christmas is on shift — even ones who live closer to the Troy hospital.

“He’s a great ambassador for the hospital,” Schulte said.

He’s also not afraid to fight for something. Christmas led the battle to save Detroit’s architectural gem and former train station, Michigan Central Station, from the wrecking ball in 2009, suing the city of Detroit under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Now owned by Ford Motor Co., a restored Michigan Central reopened this summer to much excitement and fanfare.

“Look at it now,” Christmas said, beaming. “When I saw all of those people going in there to enjoy (the grand reopening), that was a highlight.”

Christmas said he learned that it was his battle to preserve the train station that led to him being invited to appear on the float. The fact that he’s such a beloved fixture at the hospital was likely a factor as well.

On a recent morning, a hospital visitor told Christmas that the visitor’s aunt remembered him fondly from her visits to the hospital. Hospital officials say these kinds of comments are a regular occurrence. Christmas even maintains a scrapbook with thank-you letters from people he’s encountered over the years. Schulte said some people bring him cookies.

“Stanley’s gift is that he’s a connector,” Schulte said. “He knows how to connect to people.”

Given his enormous heart, it’s probably not surprising that Christmas and his wife — after raising four biological daughters — later adopted three boys from foster care. All seven kids are now adults with their own families, making Christmas the proud grandfather of 14. That large family was glued to the TV on Thanksgiving morning, watching for Christmas in the parade.

This marks the second year Corewell’s float — named “Together We Can” — appeared in the parade. The parade has been selected as America’s Number One Parade in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

“It’s truly an honor,” Christmas said. “I am overwhelmed with joy to be a part of this.”