DoorDash driver delivers food dressed as Santa in honor of his late wife

Charles Pacheco dresses up like Santa Claus every year while making deliveries. His wife used to dress up as a reindeer before she died.

Amanda Lee

Dec 18, 2024, 10:38 PM

Updated 6 days ago

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A food delivery driver from Metuchen is making Christmas special for all those he encounters.
DoorDash delivery driver Charles Pacheco dresses up like Santa Claus every year around Christmas time to bring the holiday cheer right to the front door of those who order.
News 12 followed Santa around during his DoorDash delivery on Wednesday. He decorates his red car with holiday-themed lights, stickers and accessories to bring a Christmas surprise to all who see him.
"I started in Elizabeth. I was doing it for the mayor and they got me to do it on a fire truck, which was awesome,” Pacheco told News 12.
From there, Pacheco began delivering food in 2014 with his late wife Marisol who would dress as a reindeer. He lost her four years ago to cancer and promised he would keep the tradition alive.
“Even for the other cancer patients, she would still dress up as a reindeer,” Pacheco said. "This is in her legacy, in her memory because before she passed away, she said, 'You promise, you're never going to stop doing this, right?'"
Pacheco also collects toys to give away to kids he sees during his dash, also in his wife’s honor.
He delivers in the Metuchen area mainly during the lunch hour. But Pacheco says he's always driving around New Jersey in his Santa mobile.