RELEASE: Bestselling author Bruce Templeton takes to the stage with new seasonal stories

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 7, 2017 (St. John’s) – This morning details were confirmed by the central office at the North Pole for an upcoming holiday performance from Santa’s assistant, Bruce Templeton. The Globe and Mail bestselling author, who has released three books to date, has a series of new stories that he will perform in St. John’s at the Johnson Geo Centre on Thursday, December 14, 2017.

The new show about a young boy, called A Journey Back in Time with Nicholas, will follow the titular character’s expedition to find the perfect home for his teddy bear.

Templeton will take the audience along with Nicholas, back to 1939 where they’ll meet Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer before travelling even further back to nine other stops. At every turn, Nicholas will land in a magical moment of time where he’ll be greeted by historical figures with ties to the season. He’ll learn about the origins of the very teddy bear he’s seeking a home for in 1902, and then encounter Virginia O’Hanlon in 1897. Later in the show, Nicholas will land in 1843 and run into Charles Dickens as he pens A Christmas Carol, all before returning to 280 A.D. where Nicholas will meet the saint that shares his name.

With each spellbinding stop, Templeton will lead the audience and Nicholas through fantastical folklore as they relive and discover the true history of Christmas.

Known for his ability to lure an audience’s undivided attention through his delivery and content, Templeton uses his own life experiences to highlight virtues of life, family, youth and children. He demonstrates community and business leadership through being an example, living by his motto that it is your presence, not presents, that count.

Templeton is accredited by the Canadian Association of Public Speakers and has participated in TEDx Talks. He has dutifully assisted Santa for almost 40 years, is the only living Canadian inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame, and has been knighted as a Knight of St. Nicholas. The proceeds from all three of his books, including national and Globe and Mail bestseller The Man in the Red Suit (2012), The Man with the White Beard (2014) and Twenty-Four Teddy Bears (2016), have supported the Rotary International Polio Plus program.

Bar service will be available for those 19+ and the venue is fully accessible. The Newfoundland Chocolate Company is also supporting the production and will be on hand with a few treats and information on their confections at the event, at the perfect time of year!

Tickets are only $23 (plus applicable EventBrite service fees), and seating will be limited for this intimate evening. Tickets are available at https://manintheredsuit.wordpress.com/tickets or through the event’s Facebook listing at https://www.facebook.com/ManInTheRedSuit.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Bruce Templeton
brucetempleton@bellaliant.net

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Bruce Templeton to release third book – Twenty Four Teddy Bears – September 29!

Creative Book Publishing is excited to present Twenty-Four Teddy Bears: A Christmas Journey by bestselling author Bruce Templeton.

Join us on Thursday, September 29, 2016 from 6pm to 8pm at the Knight of Columbus located at 49 St. Clare Avenue in St. John’s, NL, to join in the celebration.

Twenty-Four Teddy Bears chronicles twenty-four of Santa’s most memorable visits over the past thirty-seven years. These have taken him from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to Senior’s Homes, and Santa has left the bears with tiny newborns, people who’ve passed their 100th birthday, and all kinds of children, adults, Christmas doubters, and Christmas believers in-between.

Stories that will make you laugh and cry, but most importantly make you appreciate the true meaning of the holiday season.

All are welcome, admission is FREE, refreshments will be served and books will be available for purchase.

Visit the Facebook event page here, and feel free to invite/bring friends!

New journal entries as Bruce continues to assist Santa with Newfoundland and Labrador visits

Bruce has been busy assisting Santa since our last update on Monday! Here are some more bits of news about their experiences together since then:

December 14, 11:30pm
Santa looked on the shelf tonight and 30 of the 48 teddies have found new arms to hold them. So 18 more visits in 10 days ending in the children’s hospital on Christmas Eve. Today was wonderful in that a very caring law firm held a big dinner for those in our city who through illness, addiction, or just plain bad luck find themselves in need this year. There was beautiful food, music, dancing and genuine warmth. Santa had a ball.

The photos are from an engagement last week where Santa’s helicopter landed and he had breakfast with over 260 people. Imagine being child and you are standing on the balcony of a community centre. It is very cold and soon you hear the thump thump engine of a helicopter and Santa drops out of the sky landing in the swirling snow right before your eyes.

We get one chance to keep the dream alive for children.

December 17
Three more teddies have found new arms to hold them in the last 24 hours.

Santa absolutely loves Buckmasters Circle and the children there. For those not familiar with the name, it is a former military base in the centre of St. John’s, NL. The children are very different. They may not have all the latest toys and clothes but do they make up for it in other more important ways. Santa went into a room packed with kids and as always, he got down on the floor. The kids climbed all over him but with great respect and kindness. But what Santa notices the most is how caring they are for one another. Older brothers and sisters with their younger siblings on their hips and looking out for their well-being. There is no fighting, just the joy of Santa’s visit and several hundred appreciative, curious, and well mannered youth who make Santa’s visit one of the nicest of the 48 Santa will do.

The second teddy is with a new Canadian tonight. Thank goodness Santa has an elf to read the names of the children at Daybreak on the Boulevard. I think the wonderful staff there are as excited as the children when Santa peeked around the door and looked into the wide eyes of astonished little kids. They are all 1 to 4 years old. The children come from every corner of the world and for some, this is their first Christmas in Canada. They may not have met Santa before, but tonight there is a little two year old, with big blue glasses, curly brown hair and the biggest grin you can ever imagine clutching Santa’s teddy.

Tomorrow at 8:30 am, Santa has yet another first experience here in Newfoundland. He has been asked to come to the H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Treatment Centre to be present with a little girl while she is there for her radiation treatment. Santa’s teddy will be there too and teddy and the little girl will go home together.

Come with me St. Nicholas. Santa needs your guidance.

Annual flight to the North Pole; 18 NL youth meet the man in the red suit!

Santa had a very early start in the North Pole as a Provincial Airlines plane left St. john’s with 18 very excited children and one parent. Every child had a question that they wanted Santa to answer and the children were selected by 99.1 Hits FM. Santa is advised there were many thousand entries.

When the plane landed in the North Pole, and was pulled into the big hanger, Santa boarded the plane and met every child. An elf followed Santa and delivered gifts. Santa’s teddy stayed with Olivia, a beautiful little girl who is diabetic and has a feeding tube. Her question was “Can Santa fix sick little girls and boys?”

You get one chance to made a memory for a child. We have kept the dream alive for 18 children who will never forget their adventure this morning.

After the Flight to the North Pole, Santa went to a seniors home where family and friends gathered to meet Santa.

Santa sits with little Grant at Tiffany Village

Once that was completed, we did floor visits on the Assisted Living Floors. As we got off the elevator on one floor, an attendant came quickly and asked if Santa could visit a specific room for the elderly resident was dying and the family had gathered. I stopped for moment and said a quiet word with St. Nicholas and asked him to go into the room first. (St. Nick travels with Santa in difficult times.)

We went into the living area where somber family sat in quiet vigil. We talked quietly as members went into the bedroom and said their goodbyes. Santa reached into his mail bag and took out teddy and gave it to a family member who hugged it. As I got ready to leave, a woman said that they would take teddy into the bedroom. They thanked Santa for coming.

So a morning with 18 children on a plane and now in a unit where a soul is departing. And only half of Santa’s day is done. 75 children are next.

Sky high Santa

While out and about over the last few days assisting Santa, Bruce managed to get some candid photos of the man in the red suit!

With the sleigh being tuned up for maximum efficiency on the big night, Santa gets a hand from Universal Helicopters to make some of his early visits to Newfoundland and Labrador.

In these photos, you can see Santa as he arrived for the St. John’s Downtown Christmas parade, as well as a few from a recent visit to Outer Cove, NL.

Santa flew with Pilot Lorne to meet 250 kids and parents there. There was a big playful snow ball fight before some signature teddy bears were passed on to loving children who were all very excited!

Bruce Templeton TEDx St. John’s talk video now online!

Back in May of this year, we promised that a video would be made available of Bruce Templeton’s talk at the TEDx St. John’s event. That day has arrived! You can watch the video below when you have a spare few quiet moments, and when you’re done please consider sharing this post with your family, friends, loved ones, and larger network so they can hear about The Ultimate Gift.

From TEDx:

Lessons from The Man in the Red Suit. Bruce shares his wisdom gained from working with Saint Nicholas for over 1,500 visits with children. He takes us through four very memorable visits and the lifelong lessons they taught him.

Bruce Templeton believes that you get one chance to make a memory for a child. His volunteer life has been thrilling youth at Scout Jamborees (Provincial Commissioner, Scouts Canada) , hearing children laugh on new playground equipment in Bowring Park (Founding Chair of the Bowring Park Foundation) or seeing how United Way has made such a difference in our community and province. (Bruce was the founding Campaign Chair of United Way.)

In 2015, Bruce officially received the Order of St. Nick in Albany, NY. Over the past 37 years he has assisted Santa and they have had over 1500 visits together. He is a former Chair of the St. John’s Board of Trade. Bruce and his son Jim own and operate a financial planning office.

Bruce is an active member of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, married for 46 years to Paula, and together they have three children and five grandchildren.

Bruce Templeton one of six speakers at TEDx St. John’s

If you haven’t had the opportunity to catch Bruce Templeton at a public speaking engagement, now is your chance! Bruce is one of six individuals who have been tapped for an upcoming TEDx event in St. John’s, NL. The event’s theme could not be more fitting, Make+Belief. Templeton will be joined at the event by Todd Saunders, Anne Malone, Kris McNeil, Mike Hartmann, and Anahareo Doelle.

There are still some tickets available for the May 22 engagement, which will be at BMW St. John’s and doors open at 6:30pm for a 7:25pm start.

Santa stops in St. John’s for Downtown Parade (via The Telegram)

If you were in St. John’s yesterday and have youth in your life, chances are good you paid the annual visit to the downtown area to take in the annual St. John’s Christmas Parade.  As always, it’s capped off with an appearance from the jolly ol’ elf himself, and this year was no exception.  Take a look at today’s front page image from The Telegram to see for yourself!

Bruce Templeton on creative process and charity tie-in

Bruce talks about the main messages in his books