The season of giving is here, but for Art Wargo, 75, of Norwalk, the giving is year-round. That belief brought Wargo to the Norwalk Inn where the American Red Cross held a blood drive Wednesday.

“In February of 1982, a friend of mine—she was going to give blood, and she said, ‘Art, do you want to come along?’ Wargo recalled.

He was 32 years old at the time.

“The first time I gave blood, I said, ‘This is a good thing.’ So, after I gave the first pint, I said, ‘Well, let me give myself a goal.’ So, I gave myself a goal of 100 pints,” Wargo recalled.

Wargo more than surpassed that since then. On Wednesday, almost 43 years later, he donated his 211th pint. His total is now 26 gallons, three pints.

“People say, ‘Do you get paid?’ No, it's all here,” Wargo stated pointing to his heart.

Wargo’s generosity comes with an added bonus—the gift of laughter.

Within minutes of arriving at the drive, he had plenty of people giggling with zingers like, “Why did the football coach go to the bank? He wanted to get his quarterback.” And, “Why did a guy name his dogs Rolex and Timex? They’re his watchdogs.”

“You should do an open mic, Art,” said one staff member.

“I mean, if I had good humor, I'd sell ice cream,” Wargo quipped.

Wargo tells jokes wherever he goes—the supermarket, the beach, and yes, even while lying down on the table mid-donation.

“I'm serious. I'm not needling you,” Wargo told the technician after she started laughing.

"That was a good one. That was a good one,” she responded.

Wargo said he’s always been a jokester, but in the last five to ten years, he’s been compiling jokes and sharing them with anyone he meets.

“90% of people I joke with are so happy, and say, ‘You made my day.’ I had one lady, I remember I told her a joke, and she was walking away. She must've been 50 feet from me, and she's still laughing,” Wargo recalled with a smile. “I feel good, the person feels good, and it's just a great thing to have the humor.”

Wargo shared his favorite quip with News 12: “I'm standing in line at the bank the other morning. Lady in front of me says can I check her balance. I said sure. I pushed her.”

Despite his comedy routine, Wargo takes giving blood very seriously. He said after donating, he hears from the Red Cross about where his blood went. One message still stands out.

“They said it went to a 5-year-old boy who had leukemia, and that moved me so much thinking my blood's going to help a 5-year-old child to survive,” Wargo explained.

Over the years, his donations have helped between 211 and 333 people, according to the Red Cross.

Wargo has only taken a break from donating twice. In 2011, he had prostate cancer. Wargo beat it but in 2013, was diagnosed with lung cancer. Once cancer free, Wargo couldn’t wait to get back to giving and trying to recruit more people to join him.

“I'm always advertising,” he said, pointing to his blood bank shirt.

Wargo even still has his very first donor card, a very faded piece of paper that remains in his wallet.

“I'm going to continue on as long, as I’m healthy enough to do it,” Wargo said.

And that's no joke.

The holidays are a time when blood donations are especially needed, according to the Red Cross. The nonprofit hopes Wargo's story inspires other people to give. Click here to make an appointment or find a blood drive near you. Anyone who gives through Dec. 15, will receive a $15 e-gift card.