HANOVER, Kan. - When you envision Santa Claus, what kind of person do you picture? An older man with a bit of a belly and a long white beard?
Well for the last few Decembers in North Central Kansas, a different type of person has taken on the Father Christmas "mantle."

Meet Brett Becker.

For most of the year he's your standard 12 year old from Northern Kansas, but for the last five winters he's become "Santa Brett," taking Christmas wishes from kids and raising money to help locals in the area that are fighting serious illnesses or injuries.

Inspired by his grandfather, who served as Hanover's Santa Claus for years, Brett asked his parents for years if he could play the role himself. Finally, five years ago, they said yes, and he's been working to make a difference for people in the area ever since. 

"I kind of remember looking at Santa, and seeing all the holiday cheer, and I wanted to be like him," Brett said.

It might not be the North Pole, but Hanover's Citizen State Bank has served as Santa Brett's home base for the last few years. He'll make a couple of other appearances around Hanover this weekend as well, including a stop at the library, at a first-year coffee shop downtown called the Farmer's Daughter, and then at his family's house.

And this is no small endeavor either: Santa Brett and his family have raised between two and four thousand dollars every year that he's donned the outfit.

"The goal is to raise money for people that are in the hospital right now. It just helps them with their bills," he said. "Just to spread the cheer, make people happy, and know when they do get the money, they can spend it and pay for your groceries without worrying.  We find people every year, hopefully they get better, and then we find new people and help them out."