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"He was 35 times smarter than I am. I Links of London Sale make a schematic drawing. He'd say, 'Gimme that.' He'd go in the back room, 15 minutes later he'd come out and say, 'Is this what you want?'" "I'm talking 10- or 15-foot Santa Clauses," said Catherine E. Nikolla, the oldest of Rudi DiGregorio's five children. "Those things sat on top of Howard Johnson's all throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. You could see that coming down the road for quite some distance. They weren't typical Santa Clauses. They were wearing Howard Johnson colors - orange, blue and white. They were funky." "A guy that age usually gets a pair of white shoes and goes to Florida 20 years ago," Mr. [John Ferrara] said. "He's got an instinctive sense about style. He's really a nice guy, but don't tell him that."A procession of elves, reindeer, candy canes and other holiday decorations drape the downtown and Town Common, courtesy of the enduring Rudolph "Rudi" A. DiGregorio, who donated the items for use by the local Future of Links of London Charms group. The layered wood- and foam-cut pieces that were crafted and painted at various points in Mr. DiGregorio's prolific career. But even at 82, after making more pieces than he can account for, the conceptual designer, florist and former Marine Corps boxer is still going, always looking for his next project. In his Mill Street workshop last week, Mr. DiGregorio pointed to a large Santa Claus pouring milk for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It lit up. It certainly looked finished. But Mr. DiGregorio has a goal of building the other eight reindeer. "This stuff, it'll go out," he said. "You won't know - but I know it's not done." Mr. DiGregorio's artwork once complemented his large retail and wholesale flower shop, which he closed 17 years ago after his wife, Connie, died. He spoke of a large train and train station he built that's stored in Department of Public Works trailers. He can't wait to get his hands on them. "If we can get them out of those trailers," he Links of London A Charm, "we're going to renovate them and send them out again next year." For years the Worcester Street flower shop, founded by his late father, Lorenzo, created seasonal decorations for his late Uncle Fileno, president of United Lens Co., and other businesses in the area. Flowers were their bread and butter, but more people came for displays, he said. The artwork took on new life when Mr. DiGregorio returned home to the floral business from the Korean War. In 1959, Fileno wanted Rudi and Lorenzo to produce a display that was distinguishable from others. Rudi credits his father for the mechanical know-how. "He was 35 times smarter than I am. I would make a schematic drawing. He'd say, 'Gimme that.' He'd go in the back room, 15 minutes later he'd come out and say, 'Is this what you want?'" In 1963, Howard Johnson's commissioned Rudi and his father to decorate and create special displays for 15 outlets. Eventually they did 63 stores. Once a week they Links of London Allsorts 1 row bracelet fresh flowers and made rooftop displays of cut foam. "I'm talking 10- or 15-foot Santa Clauses," said Catherine E. Nikolla, the oldest of Rudi DiGregorio's five children.