Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Joe Murphy ‘82 and Lori (Cavallini) Campione ‘80 soon would be there.
With a knock on the front door, there arose such a clatter, and when Campione opened it one night in 2018, she was surprised to see fellow Redbird alum Joe Murphy ‘82 dressed in full Santa gear. Ever since, the pair have worked together to bring holiday joy and wonder to children and adults alike across the Midwest.
Although it wasn’t until 2018 that the pair started working together as the holiday season’s favorite couple, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the two had actually met many years earlier. Both Joe and his wife, Rosemary, and Lori and her husband, Jerry, live in the same neighborhood in Blue Island.
Campione uses her elementary education degree from Illinois State to teach kindergarten in the area, and more than 30 years ago, Campione first became Mrs. Claus when the mother of a student in her class was a seamstress. After seeing the incredible costumes she created for her children, Campione asked if the mother would be willing to make a Mrs. Claus costume for her. Campione and her husband were attending a Halloween party thrown by his employer, and since the school already had a Santa costume he could wear, Campione needed her own costume to complete the duo. That Halloween was the first time Campione dressed as Mrs. Claus, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last.
Over the next 35 years, Campione became a legend in the Blue Island community for playing Mrs. Claus at various community events from Christmas parades to a Mrs. Claus fashion show.
“The first year it was called Tea with Mrs. Claus, and I was the emcee for the event. Young girls took a class about being proud of who they were, taking an interest in how they look, what they like to wear, and showing their personality,” said Campione. “It then morphed into an annual event. The first year my daughter participated, she was just 8 years old! Now she’s 31!”
At many of the events Campione worked, the event planners were also in search of her better half, Santa Claus. However, her husband never wanted to play Santa outside of that one Halloween. So, Campione would show up as Mrs. Claus on the day of events and meet her Santa for the day, sometimes just minutes before the start of the event.
This all changed in 2018, when Murphy knocked on her door.
“I asked ‘What are you doing?’” said Campione.
“Well, I thought Mrs. Claus could give me the stamp of approval. How do I look?” responded Murphy.
That wasn’t the first night Murphy had dressed as Santa. His journey to portray Kris Kringle came a few months earlier when challenged by his daughters.
“We were on a family vacation when my daughters noticed that my beard grows pretty fast,” said Murphy. “They said I should let it grow until Christmas, and with it being October at the time, I thought ‘Why not?’”
A few weeks later, Murphy’s daughters’ real plan was revealed when a large package containing a Santa suit arrived on his doorstep. Joe and his family own Three Sisters Antiques Mall, named after his three daughters, and the Blue Island staple had never had a Santa for the holiday season. Going forward, the store would never go without a Santa again.
However, before being Santa at Three Sisters, he wanted to try it out somewhere else. His first gig as the big man was at a showing of The Polar Express for special needs children. When he saw the reaction of the children and even the adults in the crowd, Murphy knew there was no looking back. When he was in the suit, he was no longer Joe Murphy. He was Santa Joe.
“The look in the children’s eyes when Santa walks in is unbelievable,” said Murphy. “Even the adults, who initially have their heads down, love it. It’s almost like they morph back into their childhood selves.”
“The look in the children’s eyes when Santa walks in is unbelievable. Even the adults, who initially have their heads down, love it. It’s almost like they morph back into their childhood selves.”
—Joe Murphy
From there, he was hooked, but before he could continue portraying Saint Nick, he knew he had to get approval from someone a bit more experienced in the business, “neighborhood royalty” and Mrs. Claus herself, Lori Campione.
When he turned up at Campione’s door that night, she had a few tips and tricks for him that she’d learned over the years. First, he had to get a bigger and better Santa suit, and second, he needed to get a set of keys to carry around for one very important reason.
“There are so many children that don’t have chimneys, and the first thing they’re going to ask Santa is ‘How do you get in my house?’ That’s why he needed the magic keys,” said Campione. “Sometimes kids are on the edge of not believing, and you just need that little hook of magic to bring them back.”
Since that night on Campione’s doorstep, Murphy has certainly improved his portrayal of Santa Claus from a cheap suit purchased on Amazon to multiple handmade suits, a leather belt with all eight of Santa’s reindeer embossed on it, and even a 70-year-old sleigh that he spent two years restoring. However, he didn’t learn all of his tips and tricks from just Campione, he also attended the Professional Santa Claus School and is a member of the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas and the Worldwide Santa Claus Network, a group of Santas across the globe that meet on Zoom once a week.
“All of us Santas come together to discuss different issues we encounter, such as how to work with children with special needs or how to respond to unrealistic or unexpected questions,” said Murphy. “We’re always trying to learn and aspire to be better Santas.”
Over the last several years, Murphy has continued to learn how to be his best version of Santa, as he and Campione perform at hundreds of events across the state. From parades and events at local schools and organizations, home visits, and corporate events, Murphy and Campione have made a name for themselves in the Santa and Mrs. Claus industry.
Their success as Mr. and Mrs. Claus comes from the chemistry they have together, their detailed costumes, and the effort they put in to making every encounter special for each individual child or adult.
“You must listen and look into the eyes of a child. You have to let them know that the only thing in the world is that you want to be with them right that minute, and a lot of times that’s all it is, a few moments,” said Campione.
To do this, Campione has a few tricks up her sleeve from her day job as a kindergarten teacher. Because she spends so much time with children and has a weekly classroom show and tell, Mrs. Claus is up to date on all the latest trends and popular toys each year. Being able to talk about the children’s interests and wants makes the experience just a little more real for them. Campione also keeps a Polar Express bell from Santa’s sleigh with her to help children keep believing in the magic of the holiday season.
Murphy and Campione with a family at the holidays 
Murphy and Campione showing off their Redbird pride 
Murphy speaking with a child 
Murphy and Campione working as Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Peninsula Hotel in 2023 
Murphy’s Santa license plate with his Illinois State Alumni plate holder 
Murphy and Campione showing off their Redbird Pride 
Murphy’s Santa sleigh that he worked to restore 
Murphy and Campione as Santa and Mrs. Claus during the 2023 holiday season 
Murphy and Campione as Santa and Mrs. Claus on a holiday card 
Murphy and Campione showing off their Redbird pride at Santa’s desk
“You must listen and look into the eyes of a child. You have to let them know that the only thing in the world is that you want to be with them right that minute, and a lot of times that’s all it is, a few moments.”
—Lori Campione
Together, these two Redbirds have been able to touch the lives of thousands of children, and their impact will only continue to spread this holiday season and beyond. This year, the pair are booked for two months at the 5-star Peninsula Hotel in Chicago and at a corporate event at the Field Museum, in addition to their various community events and private home visits.
It was more than just holiday magic and their shared Blue Island community that brought Joe Murphy and Lori Campione together. Not only did the two graduate from Illinois State just two years apart, but they also share the same birthday on December 20, five days before Christmas. It’s safe to say they were born to bring holiday joy to communities across the state of Illinois together.
A few weeks ago, Murphy got a text message that would allow them to spread holiday cheer a lot further than the Midwest when they were invited to the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington, D.C.
“I had just secured a corporate party that morning with Disney when I got a random text out of nowhere asking if I was available to fly to D.C. to do the National Tree Lighting,” said Joe. “It was from Kristi Foley, the executive producer of the National Tree Lighting, whose aunt is my former boss. Originally, I was invited by myself, but I love working with Lori. I didn’t know if they had it in their budget, and so I offered to pay for myself and sleep in the bathtub if I had to. They responded that they definitely had it in their budget and would love to have Mrs. Claus too.”
Now, it was only a matter of days before both the Clauses headed to the United States capital to help with the lighting of the nation’s tree. However, just before they were set to fly out, the national tree was taken down by strong winds in the D.C. area. Although Murphy and Campione were worried this would cancel this opportunity, the tree was back up in a matter of hours.
When they landed in D.C., Murphy and Campione had no idea what they were in for. They stayed at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, just across the street from the White House, and the same hotel that the Thanksgiving Turkey stays in each year before it is pardoned by the president.
“It was just so surreal. Everyone we worked with from the producers and photographers to the hair and makeup people, were so kind and genuine,” said Campione. “We thought we would go there and sit quietly off to the side, but we were immediately welcomed in with open arms.”
Murphy and Campione received five-star treatment sharing a dressing room with performers like six-time Grammy Award-winner Dionne Warwick and award-winning actor, singer, songwriter, and producer Darren Criss.
“We were in the green room with these big-name celebrities, but before we knew it, they turned the tables on us and were asking us for selfies. We thought they were the rock stars but they thought we were,” said Campione.
After talking with Criss, the Glee alum offered to make a video for Murphy’s daughter, who is a huge fan. Then, the tables were turned on Murphy and Campione once again when they made a video from Santa and Mrs. Claus for Criss’ daughter. This friendship then led to Murphy and Campione being invited on stage at one of Criss’ concerts in the weeks following the tree lighting. It’s safe to say these two make an impact on everyone they meet.
Initially, Murphy and Campione weren’t sure what to expect when it came to filming, and they were shocked to find out that not only would they be making an appearance, but they also had speaking parts with a script.
“Of course, Mrs. Claus memorized her lines, but I was so nervous, I couldn’t even remember my name. Luckily, there was a huge teleprompter to help me out,” said Murphy. “If you’re to look at our arms, they’re all bruised up because all we did was pinch ourselves the whole time because we just kept thinking it was a dream.”
With so many nerves and excitement surrounding the whole experience, it was over in the blink of an eye. The lighting of the tree marked the beginning of the holiday season in the nation’s capital and a career high for Murphy and Campione, and one they hope to turn into a yearly tradition. To watch Murphy and Campione make their debut in Washington, D.C., the National Christmas Tree Lighting will air on CBS on Friday, December 15 at 7 p.m. CT.
From their family and friends in Blue Island to individuals across the nation, thousands will be tuning into CBS to watch Murphy and Campione on Friday night, but Murphy and Campione will not be among them. Instead, the pair will be hard at work as Santa and Mrs. Claus at a corporate event at the Field Museum in Chicago continuing to spread holiday cheer wherever and whenever they can.
