Navy Rescue Swimmer Surprises Family by Returning Home as Santa Claus for ‘Special Christmas’

A Navy rescue swimmer surprised his family by returning home for the holidays in style — Santa Claus’ style, that is!

Sean McCartin, who is on active duty, joined his family’s party in Atlanta on Thursday, Dec. 24, fully dressed in a Santa Claus outfit and long, scraggly white beard, according to NBC affiliate WXIA-TV.

Footage from the reunion shows Sean parading around as Santa and giving out gifts before revealing his identity.

“I think there is one more thing you’re missing, sir, on your Christmas! It’s your son,” he said to a man, identified by WXIA-TV as his father Joe.

Sean then ripped off the hat and beard he walked over to his stunned father for a big hug and told him “I love you, dad. Merry Christmas!”

“He didn’t realize it was me. I could tell,” Sean recalled of his father, who claimed he had “a tough day” before the awesome surprise.

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“Boy, you’ve capped it off real well,” Joe said in the video.

Mary Wearn, Sean’s aunt, said she originally believed Sean wasn’t going to make it to the family’s Christmas festivities.

“I had invited Sean for Christmas, but he told me he couldn’t make it,” she told ABC affiliate WSB-TV. “Then he contacted his cousin and said he was going to surprise the family on Christmas Eve.”

Joe’s wife Bonnie died earlier this year, so his sister said Sean’s surprise visit “meant the world” to his father.

“I thought it was kind of important with it being the first Christmas without Mom to come home,” Sean told WXIA-TV.

He later added, “This is a special Christmas, and I’m so glad to be here with everyone.”