Rochester resident Linda Hanscom has become a bonafide downtown celebrity and a beloved sighting during the Christmas season. 

Since 1990, Linda has been dressing like an elf, ringing her bells, dancing, and waving to passing motorists and pedestrians. She explains, “I love Christmas and I want to remind people to smile and be nice to one another.”

“I just want to make people happy,” says Hanscom. “I love to ring the bells and wave to people during the holidays. It’s my way of giving back and making people happy.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” says City Manager Blaine Cox. “I’ve seen her out there sometimes for hours at a time. I hear the car horns and see the waves as people drive by. She’s always positive, smiling, and a great mascot for what this holiday is all about.”

Hanscom has only one request every year, for residents “to be nice to one another, care for each other, keep smiling, and do what they can to make someone else’s day a little brighter.”