Mall Santa's hobby will leave you in stitches

A Christchurch mall Santa has a funky new artistic hobby - and it turns out he's pretty good at it.

Father, grandad, busy volunteer and self-proclaimed cranky husband, Max Lucas, 79, has asked many children what they want for Christmas over the years as Eastgate Mall's Santa Claus.

But outside the festive season when he was stuck inside during the Covid pandemic, he wanted a new hobby to fill in time - so took up stitchwork.

Now his colourful artworks are on display for everyone to see at the Linwood Library.

Lucas says each creation has its own funky theme, such as "things I’m sorry for’ and "old man sayings".

He's currently working on a piece based on "tasty-sounding words".

"I just think of an idea, grab the yarn and go with it,” Lucas said.

"It gives me something do to while I sit in front of the telly, and it’s something I can pick up when I feel like it."

Lucas is a man of many talents. He also has an eye for painting and has spent time dabbling in knitting.

While you may not recognise him without his bright red suit and hat, he has also spent years as Eastgate Mall’s Father Christmas.

Lucas said he turned to stitchwork because painting became too messy and knitting didn't offer him enough creative freedom.

He says stitchwork is a time-consuming process, with each square taking about a week and an entire piece requiring three or four months' work.

"Eventually my wife decided my works were taking up too much cupboard space in our home, so I needed to find somewhere new for them to live,” Lucas said.

"Years ago, I had some of my paintings on display at Linwood Library, so I bit the bullet and asked if they wanted to have my stitchwork up there this time round.”

You can now find Lucas' stitchwork and knitted creations hanging from the walls and enclosed in cases around the library.