Santa Spreads Holiday Cheer as Pennsbury School Bus Driver

YARDLEY, PA —The bus driver looks familiar these days to Katie Cotton Van Hise's children.

There's the white beard. And the warm smile. Or maybe it's the red suit that's a dead giveaway.

For the past few school days, Pennsbury School District bus driver Paul Opeilski has dressed up as Santa Claus to spread a little holiday cheer to the students.

Van Hise took a picture of Opeilski and posted on Facebook saying:

"If you need a dose of joy this morning…meet the wonderful bus driver who takes my kids to and from school. He greets them with the biggest, loudest “GOOD MORNING!” every single day. This morning he pulled up dressed as. (You know I teared up.) So grateful for this man and his spirit!"

"He's such a great guy," Van Hise, a Yardley resident, told Patch Tuesday afternoon.

Opeilski has worked for the school district as a bus driver since 2015, said Jennifer Neill, the district's supervisor of public relations.

The bus driver, though, is in good spirits no matter the season.

At the start of the year, he'd greet the students with a hello "good people" and an "all aboard." Van Hise said by week's end, all the children were shouting along with him. Watch Video