North Central teacher spreads Christmas cheer, community spirit in ‘snazzy’ fashion

It’s the eve of Christmas Eve. A mustachioed man wearing a bright red suit and a Santa hat is leaving Macy’s at the NorthTown Mall in Spokane after some last-minute gift shopping.

The pattern of his svelte outfit and matching tie – white and festive stripes of snowflakes, trees and Santa mushing his sleigh – wouldn’t look out of place beneath a Christmas tree. His ensemble, complete with elfish green shoes, catches at least one woman’s eye; he notices as he makes his way to hold the door for her on the way out.

Her big smile is apparent even behind her face mask. She and the man share a few pleasantries before going their separate ways.

Kelly Kiki lives for moments like that.

The 51-year-old North Central High School English teacher has a closet full of festive suits for many occasions, including Thanksgiving and St. Patrick’s Day. They’ve served him in his life as a teacher, a longtime volunteer for the homeless outreach group Blessings Under the Bridge and at the Brambleberry Cottage and Tea Shoppe in Spokane, which he co-owns with his wife, Dawn.

The Christmas suits are part of a nearly monthlong ritual that starts Dec. 1. Mindfully shaving his No-Shave November beard in stages (it’s part of the shtick, he noted), Kiki wore his outfits every day in public and showcased them with regular posts on social media.

“Our community needs it – especially in COVID,” he said. “We need to be filled with laughter and smiles.”

Bringing joy

Kiki said his passion was at least partially influenced by how his father, Joe, would dress up as Santa Claus, sack and all, when he was younger.

“He kind of opened the door to be goofy and have some fun with Christmas,” he said.

Kiki has done many goofy things himself over his 22-year teaching career, he said. One of his more popular Halloween costumes among his students, for example, is a snaggletoothed hillbilly character named Skeeter.

In the three years since starting the Christmas suits, Kiki said he has collected around nine or 10 of them. He buys through Shinesty, his go-to outlet for crazy outfits.

“It changes everything when you go out in public,” he said. “The people that see me, the smiles and the pictures. To me, it’s one of the most fun times of the year, from Dec. 1 to Christmas.”

The red suit with the white and festive stripes was the last he unveiled on Facebook for the season. He wore it for his students in their virtual classroom, ending the year before winter break by singing a song he affectionately titled “All I Want for Christmas is My Students’ Cameras On.”

“Some of these kids, it was the first time I actually saw their faces,” Kiki said. “It was actually emotional.”

In the years before COVID-19, Kiki said students would help him set up the photos for his social media postings using a green screen. His fellow teachers and administrators sometimes got in on the act as well.

Kiki said he and North Central High School Principal Steve Fisk get a picture together annually.

“Definitely, Kelly sets the bar very high for holiday spirit, which is awesome for the kids,” Fisk said. “He’s always been a pretty snazzy dresser around the holiday season.”

The spirit Kiki exhibits with his outfits is reflected in what he gives for the school, the community and the region, Fisk said.

This year, Fisk said Kiki was active in a schoolwide sweatshirt drive, raising enough to provide 350 sweatshirts to students. In years past, Kiki has been among the top teachers in supporting food and penny drives – all the while imparting that sense of generosity to students, Fisk said.

“I think probably the bigger piece is while maybe somebody might look at it as antics, there’s always a deeper story on the back side,” Fisk said.

“He does like to bring joy to other people. He likes to bring sustenance to other people. He appreciates that people are suffering. I love that kind of stuff. We could use a heck of a lot more of it. I think his is a great example to others as to what’s possible too.

“He’s a good man,” Fisk finished. “He cares – and he does something about it.”

Making a difference

Kiki can understand if people don’t immediately get that when they see him and his festive suits. Heck, while his two children reportedly love his getups, even his wife sometimes busts his chops, he said.

Others have been more judgmental. They see an attention-seeker, he said. Somebody who’s vain. Shallow.

“Sometimes, I feel like if you want to make a difference in the world, you have to start shallow before you go deep,” he said.

For her part, Blessings Under the Bridge founder Jessica Kovac couldn’t really settle on a single word to describe Kiki and his festive wardrobe.

“They’re awesome. They’re bold. They’re wild. They’re happy. They’re joyful,” she said. “He’s not paid to do this. This is just his heart. It’s out of the box. It makes a statement. It makes a positive statement.”

Kiki opted for a baby-blue suit smattered with candy canes for Blessings Under the Bridge’s 14th annual Winter Event. Sponsored by the Coeur d’Alene Casino, the event distributed clothes, blankets, gifts and more to hundreds under the I-90 bridge.

Kovac said Kiki, who has been with Blessings for nearly as long as the nonprofit has existed, has used the suits during the pandemic to help people connect with him in a different way.

“I hope that he found something that sticks and doesn’t die down,” Kovac said. “It’s the perfect time to increase awareness and thinking positive given everything that’s going on in the world.”

As Dec. 25 formally ends his showcase of this year’s Christmas collection, Kiki said he wishes the feelings of community and love spread during the holiday season lasted all year long.

“I just feel like I’m a blessed man to share the gift of Christmas with people,” he said. “Especially with people who may not be able to be a part of it.”