KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For 24 years, kids young and old have dropped off their letters for Santa Claus at a Northland house on the corner of Albany and Topper Street.
They even came to visit the man in the big red suit himself, but a sudden tragedy has left the community in mourning.
A man who personified the spirit of Santa Claus suddenly died over the weekend.
"He was the heart of the show," Karen Olson said.
Greg Libbey was known at the Northland neighborhood Santa, giving a direct pipe line to the North Pole for families like the Cammisano's.
"This is where the letters would go and we would see Santa," Roxy Cammisano said. "He brought a lot of joy to my kids and my family. It's very heartbreaking."
Libbey suddenly passed away on Saturday morning, leaving behind his long-term partner, Karen Olson, and their son, Sidney.
"He was a light to everybody he ran into to come and see him," Olson said. "It made him happy to put all these lights up."
Karen and Sidney would dress up with Greg as Mrs. Claus and an elf, helping him pass out candy canes and Christmas cheer.
Olson explained the tradition started two decades ago for their son Sidney, who has down syndrome.
"He started with a little bit of lights and Sidney loved it so much he just kept doing it," Olson said. "It just grew and he kept buying more and more and putting more out. Then people started rolling by and he decided to wear the outfit and it just really grew from there."
Roxy Cammisano and her son, Ricky, walked by the massive light display on Monday after they heard the news of Greg's passing.
Ricky explained the home has made core memories for him and his siblings.
"It was almost magical seeing all the lights, delivering the letters and when you sleep you can hear the music in the distance, it was just magical," Ricky Cammisano said. "Something kind of left me when I heard about [Greg's death]."
Through her grief and heartbreak, Karen is keeping the lights on and welcoming families in for candy canes and cookies through Christmas Eve.
"In honor of him, I just want to make him happy and he'd be looking over us saying, 'You're doing exactly what I want,'" Olson said.
After 24 years of putting on one of the largest Christmas light displays in the Northland, this will be the last year for the Northland North Pole.
"I can't do this on my own," Olson said.
Through their heartbreak, neighbors are helping Karen pay this month's electric bill and take down all the decorations in January.
"I know they're here for the community as much as the community wants to be here for them," Roxy Cammisano said.
The Northland may have lost a beloved Santa Claus, but Greg Libbey's light will live on.
"It's amazing how many people loved him and he touched so many lives," Olson said. "I just hope he's looking down and he can see that, because he would love that."
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Karen and her son.
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