The Candy Cane Man – Basking Ridge’s Own Christmas Eve “St. Nick”

I think I first heard of who I call St. Nick about 20 years ago, gathering on the town green in Basking Ridge on Christmas Eve, as thousands of people before me have done since 1924, for the annual Basking Ridge Community Christmas Eve sing. Mr. Local History has been documenting some of Nick’s community efforts for decades. But we never covered this one – our own St. Nick, the Basking Ridge Candy Cane man.

In every town, there is at least one person whose quiet acts of kindness become part of the local fabric, and in Basking Ridge, that person is Nick Sant Foster. Long before anyone called him the Flag Man or the Candy Cane Man, Nick was simply a neighbor who believed that small gestures could lift a community. He arrived in Bernards Township in the late 1990s after years as a photographer and writer, bringing with him a Marine’s sense of pride and a storyteller’s heart. Over time, he became a familiar sight across the Somerset Hills, placing American flags on overpasses at his own expense, handing out candy canes at the Christmas Eve sing, and showing up whenever people needed a burst of joy. His work was never about recognition. It was always about reminding the community that gratitude, patriotism, and simple kindness still matter. Nick never asked for attention, but the town noticed anyway. And in noticing, Basking Ridge gained a folk hero who built his legacy one flag, one child’s smile, and one small act at a time.

The depth of Nick’s creative life was also revealed in a special exhibition at the Bernardsville Library that showcased his color photography alongside passages from his unpublished book titled “Recovering Wisdom: Thoughts for the Road to Recovery.” His photographs captured the natural world with bold color and a quiet emotional resonance, while his written reflections explored the timeless questions that shape personal growth and spiritual renewal. Visitors were invited to read a working manuscript of the book, gaining a deeper understanding of how Nick used art to achieve clarity and purpose. Before settling in Basking Ridge after many years in Bernardsville, he worked as a freelance photographer with the Image Bank, now part of Getty Images, and taught photography at Drew University. The library exhibition remained open during regular hours, giving the community a chance to experience the creative spirit that has always lived beneath his better-known public gestures.

COVID and 2020 – Nick and I were There!

The Christmas Eve of 2020 brought a moment that revealed even more about Nick’s spirit. That year, the township advised residents not to gather at the town center tree due to public health concerns, an unprecedented pause in a tradition that had lasted for generations. But as dusk settled over the green, a small group quietly appeared anyway, drawn by memory and meaning. Nick was there, I was there, and about eight others arrived one by one, spaced out around the Christmas tree, as if answering an unspoken call.

There were no microphones or song sheets, only the soft glow of the tree and a shared belief that even a pared-down gathering could honor the night. Nick, as always, brought warmth simply by being present. In that small circle of neighbors, standing together in the quiet, the essence of the tradition survived because people like Nick refused to let the moment pass without heart.

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In closing, as long as Nick is breathing, he will be on the green every December 24 with a pocket full of candy canes and a heart full of goodwill. It is what he loves to do, a simple act that has become part of the town’s rhythm and a reminder that traditions endure because people choose to carry them forward. Year after year, no matter the weather, no matter the circumstances, you can count on seeing Nick beneath the lights of the Christmas tree, smiling as he passes a candy cane to a child and keeping the spirit of the season alive for everyone who gathers there.

Happy Holidays

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