A Day In The Life Of Santa Claus
Image Source: Instagram (Photo by Callie Jane Butterworth)
Christmas is just around the corner. In the air is the feeling of joy that comes with this merry season, and a huge part of that for many families is a visit with Santa Claus. They get in their best clothes, shuffle into the car, and go to a Santa grotto at a mall, store, amusement park, or community event that Santa may be visiting. However, since Santa has trouble being in multiple places at once (outside of maybe one day a year), he has very special helpers that stand in for him and visit all the good boys and girls. I am among those who can consider themselves an ambassador for Santa Claus, and there are plenty of others who fulfill this role around the world.
I began helping Santa in 2020, though I had appeared as the jolly old elf for family and friends years prior. Throughout my life, I loved Christmas and Santa Claus, so becoming the jolly old elf was a natural fit for me. Many other Santas have similar stories. For example, Santa James Brown of Warrenton, Virginia, was enlisted in the Navy for 20 years. During this time, he developed a passion for Christmas, especially since he was often away from his family during Christmastime while in the service.
Image Source: Facebook (photo by Perfect Image Photography)
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“I’ve been a professional Christmas performer since 2013, and one of my goals over the last couple of years, especially with COVID, was to become a better performer for my clients,” Brown told Fauquier Now. For many, being Santa is a calling. A couple in Omaha, Nebraska, even legally changed their names to Santa Claus and MerryChristmas Claus, and they aim to spread joy to children around the nation. Santa Cliff Snider of North Carolina first wore the red suit at age 15 after losing his father in a tragic accident on Labor Day of 1962. Though initially embarrassed by being volunteered by one of his fellow students in his Sunday School class for being the “fattest” one there, he soon realized that perhaps this was something he was meant to do.
“As I visited with each child and listened to their requests, I felt like God was tapping me on the shoulder and whispering, I know you have a broken heart, Cliff, but by bringing joy and happiness to others, I’m going to heal it. And that is how my Santa journey began,” Snider stated in Being Santa Claus: Stories of the Perfect Retirement Career.
Image Source: WHSV
Most work as a Santa Claus is publicly seen at malls and department stores. These gigs can be rather hectic and often lead to Santas, such as Santa Mark Waynesboro, Virginia, seeing over 1,000 children per day. These visits still allow each child to have a personal experience with Santa as he listens to their Christmas wishes. For several Santas, this is their main gig. However, there are other venues for Santa performers than just places like these.
Another area of work for Santa Claus ambassadors is the private home visit. There is an increasing demand for Santa Claus to visit families in their homes rather than meeting the jolly old elf at department stores. These visits allow for a more personal and interactive experience with the family, and it is this area where I get a majority of my Santa work. Home visits are a delight. Santas, like myself, have much more control over what they can do in private events like this. There is more to these visits than simply getting a picture with Santa and telling him Christmas wishes. Santas become entertainers. They talk with the children, tell stories, sing songs, and even play games! It is clear that home visits have their advantages compared to mall gigs, but both are valid venues for Santa Claus ambassadors to spread Christmas cheer.
Image Source: Facebook (Photo by Callie Jane Butterworth)
However, there is yet another avenue for Santa Claus ambassadors: virtual visits. These visits existed before the recent pandemic but exploded in popularity during the said event. Through virtual visits, families can book a video call with Santa and talk with him using their computer, phone, or tablet. The Santa performer can do many of these visits in a day without leaving their house, and this was especially useful when gathering in public was rendered impossible for a time. It also allows Santa performers to reach children they might not have been able to reach in an in-person visit due to location or other factors.
Image Source: Mr. Kringle
However, before Santa even shows up to the gig, whether in a public mall-like setting or a private event, they take a lot of time to get ready. Real-bearded Santas have less prep work; most of them have to color their beard white if their facial hair is not naturally white or bleached. However, it takes a lot more work for those who do not have their own Santa beard and use theatrical/designer beards. As a designer beard Santa myself, it adds at least 20 minutes to my prep time as Santa, and I am always experimenting with new ways to ensure the hair pieces look realistic and stay put for the duration of the visit. The longest time I have been Santa at one event has been four hours, but some Santas often have 11-12 hour days be it at a Santa Grotto or at multiple gigs in one day.
Once the day is over, these Santas must return to their everyday lives. Real-bearded Santas never escape being recognized as Santa, so some are always “on,” while others keep a low profile in public, especially when near other performing Santas. It’s much easier for designer-beard Santas such as myself to blend in, with most of our worries in between visits is the condition of our hair pieces. However, a DBS (designer beard Santa) can be recognized in the wild by their previous clients. Regardless, even out of the suit, both types of Santas feel a responsibility to represent the jolly gift-giver even when not officially standing in for him, treating this as something of a code of ethics for this brotherhood of Santas.
Image Source: Worldwide Santa Claus Network
This brotherhood extends to networking between Santas with Santa schools, conventions, and online groups. One such group is the Worldwide Santa Claus Network, founded by Santa Ed Taylor. The Worldwide Santa Claus Network is a community of Santa Claus performers that not only connects Santa Claus ambassadors from around the world but also hosts courses for training new and seasoned Santas and Mrs. Clauses alike. The organization “currently boasts a membership of more than 4,500 Santas & Mrs. Clauses from all over the world,” Both the free and paid classes have been valuable resources for each member.
Though there is often pressure to do things perfectly and obsess over every detail of their portrayal, it is important to remember the reason behind Santa Claus: the children.
“Santa Claus comes from the heart. You have to love what you’re doing or don’t do it. It’s about the kids mostly with adults love it to just got to know how to interact with them and make them happy.” Santa Dale Weishar of Las Vegas states.
Santa Edward Suczewski agress, saying:
“My biggest tip for anyone becoming Santa is to try to see yourself through kids’ eyes and be the very best you can be for them, not for you or for any other concept of what makes a ‘good’ Santa. Develop your craft so that you’re friendly, familiar, warm, and inviting to them. Make their experience with you magical. That’s what it’s all about.”
Image Source: Children’s Museum of Richmond
While we, as Santa performers, obsess over our suits, our beards (real or theatrical), our skills, and every detail in between, we cannot lose sight of why we’re doing this in the first place: to spread the joy of Christmas to everyone, young and old. If we lose sight of that, it doesn’t matter what our suit looks like. I’ll never forget what the Legendary Santa (the Santa tradition that started at Miller and Rhodes in Richmond, VA, and continues at the Children’s Museum of Virginia) told me when I was getting started, “Santa comes from the heart. When you put on that suit, you are Santa.” I take that advice with me to every Santa Claus gig I perform.
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Source(s): Group Facebook comments for the Worldwide Santa Claus Network, Fauquier Now, Worldwide Santa Claus Network, WHSV, AmericasSantas
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