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William Rentie sat at the northeastern 16th Street BART plaza smoking a cigarette on a recent Thursday, thinking about a special Christmas.
It was 47 years ago when he left two cookies, an orange and an apple out for Santa. He was 9, and waiting until morning seemed like an eternity, so he got up in the middle of the night to take a peak.
Young Rentie was not disappointed by what he saw.
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“I seen my father under the Christmas tree, getting it ready and putting presents under it,” he said.
The next morning, he said, “I asked my sister if my father was Santa Claus’s helper. She said, ‘No, fool. He _is_ Santa Claus.’”
“That’s probably one of the best Christmases I’ve ever had,” he said. He recalled the feeling of his mother and father kissing him goodnight, and tucking him into bed. That year, Rentie got the present he’d wanted for a long time: A popular ride at the time called the “Green Machine.”
William Rentie said Christmas should be all about being with one’s family, on Thursday Dec. 18, 2025. Photo by Oscar Palma.
This year, he hasn’t made any plans for Christmas, but he hopes to see his mother and sister here in the city. After all, Christmas should be all about family, he said.
That’s a widely-shared view around the BART plaza. With Christmas only a few days away, traditional holiday cheer is scarce among the people whose lives have led them to these streets. Still, there’s plenty of nostalgia for Christmases past — and vague yearnings for miracles that would bring back the good times.
A few feet from Rentie, Sara Schneider described her favorite Christmas memory: “Going to my grandparents’ house, eating dinner and spending time with my family.” They always ate turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing, she recalled.
With tears in her eyes, Schneider said she misses her grandparents, who died a few years ago. A Sacramento native, she and her husband ended up on San Francisco’s streets after they lost their house, their dog (who was like a son) and her mother-in-law in the span of two months, about two and a half years ago.
Schneider said that if she could work a Christmas miracle, she would get her old life back.
Sara Schneider said she misses going to her grandparents house for Christmas, on Thursday Dec. 18, 2025. Photo bye Oscar Palma.
A couple of blocks away on Julian Avenue between 14th and 15th streets, Marcos Antonio stood alone. He was high, leaning so far forward he almost touched his toes. The 27-year-old Oakland native has been living on the streets and using drugs for five or six years, since he lost his housing.
Antonio’s favorite Christmas memory was three years ago, opening presents with his daughter, Jenesis, a 3-year-old at the time. He said he hasn’t been able to see her “in a little minute,” and that pains him.
His Christmas miracle? “To have some money and go back to my daughter, get out of here,” said Antonio. He said he wants to get off the streets, recover and move to Vallejo, where his daughter lives with her mom.
“I’m missing her everyday,” he said.
Nearby, Megan Nickerson took in the sun by herself. The 61-year-old grew up in Mountain View, and has been using drugs since she was 17, when a boyfriend introduced her to heroin.
Nickerson, who now uses meth and fentanyl, plans to call her 16-year-old daughter, who lives in Windsor with her foster mom, on Christmas. The two haven’t been together in five years, and Nickerson wants to change that.
“I keep saying I want to be clean for my daughter, but it’s so hard to get out of it,” said Nickerson, crying. “I think about her all the time. Christmas brings all that up: Memories of your family, and what it meant to you, and what you did for Christmas and stuff. It’s hard.”
A favorite Christmas memory, Nickerson said, was how her mom used to tell her that when the sky turned pink, it was Santa Claus making candy. As for a Christmas miracle, she said, she wants “not to look homeless.”
Across the street, Colby H. rested against a building.
“Today’s my birthday,” he said. “I’m turning 38.”
Colby H., a Wyoming native, said that for Christmas he wishes nothing more than a place for him and his girlfriend, on Thursday Dec. 18, 2025. Photo by Oscar Palma.
Colby grew up in Wyoming, but moved to the Bay Area 15 years ago after he left a badly-paying job repairing windshields in Orange County. He has been on the streets most of his time here.
Life on the streets has become harder since the city started to crack down more aggressively on drug use and dealing, he said. Recently, he’s started to take methadone and has stopped using fentanyl. As for plans for his birthday and Christmas, he said he hoped to meet up with his girlfriend.
More than anything what he wants is a place he can call home, where he can spend time with his girlfriend, he said.
And, just as people’s wishes mostly came full circle, so I returned to the BART plaza, where Rentie was sitting. What would he want for a Christmas miracle? I asked.
“To dance with my dad again,” he said. His father died several years ago.
“What song?” I asked.
He didn’t hesitate: “‘’Dance with My Father‘ by Luther Vandross.”
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