If there is one thing that Mick Foley loves as much as putting his body on the line for the sake of entertaining fans, it’s putting his body to use as the holiday hero, jolly old Saint Nick, or in this case, Saint Mick, himself. Such has been the case for decades now and this year has been no different as Mick Foley is donning the red and white Santa suit once again to host IFC’s Best Holiday Bingo every Thursday in December, starting at 9 PM ET/PT.
Known as “Slightly-Off” Santa, a nickname that comes from IFC’s tagline of “always on, slightly off” Foley has been making weekly appearances on the network as the host of Holiday Bingo, which airs during commercial breaks of the movie being shown that night. So far, these movies have included Planes, Trains and Automobiles (Dec. 5th) as well as Gremlins (Dec. 12th), which according to Saint Mick himself, is in fact a Christmas movie, whereas Die Hard is not. He even brought his friend Rudy the Sock, dressed to look like the reindeer of a similar name, to help him spread the holiday cheer.
The remaining schedule of movies is as follows: Year Without a Santa Claus (Dec. 19th) and Snow Day (Dec. 26th).
It's not Christmas without @RealMickFoley. Play #HolidayBingo tomorrow 9P during #PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles. pic.twitter.com/X08WHQk7we
— IFC (@IFC) December 4, 2019
Hit 'em with the cheer, @RealMickFoley. Play #HolidayBingo tonight 9P during #PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles. Get your card at https://t.co/6pAGPIVgO8 pic.twitter.com/1B4IWZrVKJ
— IFC (@IFC) December 5, 2019
https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/1205223641065103361
A well-known fact, Mick Foley has long loved Christmas, which he calls his favorite holiday, as well as portraying the big guy himself. In fact, in 2017, Foley wrote a book about the topic, “Saint Mick: My Journey From Hardcore Legend to Santa’s Jolly Elf,” that is described as “part jolly memoir, part whimsical ode to a lifetime love affair with Christmas, part solemn tribute to the power of finding the best part of oneself in the unlikeliest of places. Foley’s love of Santa has been detailed in the media as well, everywhere from Sports Illustrated to Rolling Stone. In the latter of which, he is quoted as saying, “I find that I get most of the same things I loved about performing in the ring when I do my live shows around the world. I also find it when I don the red suit and become an ambassador for Santa.”
In 2014, Mick Foley, who has a year-round Christmas room in his house and whose love of Santa was featured prominently on an episode of the WWE Network show, Holy Foley, even starred in the Netflix documentary, I Am Santa Claus.