A 12-foot tall, 400-pound Santa Claus is clinging to the legs of the World’s Largest Catsup bottle for the first time in a decade.

The figure, wrapped in lights and colorful garland, first appeared in 2000 with the help of “The Catsup Bottle Lady” Judy DeMoisy, who organized the donation of change from Collinsville school kids. The donations paid for Santa and the expense of putting him up the first couple of years, President and CEO of the non-profit World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Inc., Mike Gassmann said.

When the kids went away to college, the funds dried up and the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Inc. could not find a volunteer to take on the project, Gassmann said. Santa went into storage while DeMoisy and Gassmann plotted his return.

Property owner Jim Eckert, friend of the Catsup Bottle Chris Hankins, IBEW Local 309 Business Manager Scott Hassell, DeMoisy and Gassman teamed to enlist J.F. Electric to get the project running again for 2013. Within 10 days of the initial meeting, Santa was once again climbing the landmark water tower, Gassmann said.

“It was like magic,”Gassmann said. “The right people in the right place make things happen.”