Santa Claus is waving with his left arm now. And he has a new green sack and black gloves instead of green. 

He is shorter, too. 

But this one Jean and Alton King III and family put up Sunday in their Route 218 yard still towered over them. And it filled them with thanks. Alna Snowmobile Club gave them the club’s Santa.

“I think it’s pretty cool they went out of their way to get us a new Santa because ours got stolen,” Alton IV, 14, said. “I was very surprised that someone took our huge Santa. I didn’t think that would happen at all.”

Overnight Dec. 16-17, the family’s 12-foot-tall, singing Santa disappeared from the same spot in front of the early 1800s cape, the former town office. Jean King said the blowup decoration’s ties were cut. The couple contacted Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. First Selectman Melissa Spinney said she planned to share with the sheriff’s office video footage from the new town office next door. And Jean said the family would not let the incident “ruin our Christmas spirit.”

As of Sunday, the family had no new word on the first Santa’s whereabouts. Standing in the snow, Alton III recalled his heart dropped the morning he saw the first one was gone. “And to see part of the community come together like that ... we are so appreciative.”

The Kings were not outside when the club dropped off the Santa last week. While Wiscasset Newspaper was there Sunday photographing the family members with it shortly after they put it up, club member Jay Verney was driving by and pulled over in a pickup truck with a fellow member. Verney said it was great to see the family getting to enjoy the Santa. 

“Thank you very much,” Alton III said. He added after they left, “It was nice to be able to thank them in person.”