Pat Sanguinetti wears many hats.

Most of the time, that hat is chief administrator of Cathedral School.

But on Christmas Eve, Sanguinetti will be donning red hat along with a jolly red suit.

Sanguinetti was elected by the Santa Claus Committee to serve as this year’s Santa Claus.

“It’s just a great honor,” Sanguinetti said. “I’m thrilled to represent all these wonderful men on the committee.”

The Santa Claus Committee got its start in Natchez in 1928, when a group of businessmen decided they wanted to ensure that even the less-fortunate local children have a merry Christmas.

The committee exists only for charitable purposes, and members pay yearly dues to participate in the committee’s annual parade, which is on Christmas Eve.

The caravan of committee members and, of course, Santa, travels around Natchez tossing candy to local children and spreading holiday cheer.

Part of the parade also includes stopping at Braden School Auditorium and passing out presents to children ages 1 to 10.

Sanguinetti has his own fond childhood memories of the Santa Claus Committee parade.

“We would always put on the police scanner and listen to where Santa was, and when he got close enough, we would run out and wait for him,” Sanguinetti said.

The Santa Claus Committee is a bit of a family tradition for Sanguinetti.

His father and uncles joined the committee decades ago, and Sanguinetti said his family is happy to continue a wonderful Natchez tradition.

“The original reason the committee was started was because the early members saw there were underprivileged kids that were not going to experience Christmas,” Sanguinetti said.

Sanguinetti’s father recently recalled witnessing first-hand how the Santa Claus Committee impacted the lives of those in need.

“He talked about how Santa used to stop at the charity hospital and go around and give everyone a quarter,” Sanguinetti said. “He said that you would have thought you had given them $100.

The Santa Claus Committee has donated thousands of dollars each year to area nonprofits, including Catholic Charities, Pleasant Acre Day School, Guardian Shelter, the Natchez Children’s Home, Santa Cop, Natchez-Adams County Humane Society, the Natchez Stewpot and others.

“Yes, (the Santa Claus Committee) is about having fun, but it’s also about what we can do for this community and all the organizations we help,” Sanguinetti said.