I wore the Red Suit (3 page)

I found that those black spats worn over shoes are a deal breaker when a child sees them. They know that Santa has real boots, not black rubber that barely hides the sneakers some of the Santa’s wear underneath the faux boots. I took an old pair of motorcycle boots, and put several layers of polish to hide most of the scuffmarks and nicks. To complete the magic, I have a pair of lightweight socks, with white fur sewn on the tops.
 
I simply put on the socks, then, slide on the boots. The white fur hangs over the boot tops, giving the appearance that the fur is attached to the boots.
 
My suit is lightweight breathable cotton, so I stay cool and comfortable for hours. The white fur-trimmed cap fits perfectly on my head and does not drop over my eyes, or fall off when I bend over, or reach for a child. It is snug without being tight.
The cap Santa wears probably comes from the bishop’s mitre that St. Nicholas wore.
 
I complete my makeover with clean white gloves that I change every day. The gloves help keep the germs down for both the kids and I. On the end of my nose sits a pair of square ancient glasses, so I have to look over them, like the jolly man whom I have become.

To me, cleanliness is important, not just as a normal daily hygiene, but with the increased child-facing activity of playing Santa Claus. I use extreme amounts of deodorant, take frequent showers, and brush my teeth more than after every meal. As I stated earlier, I always have a peppermint lifesaver stuck in my mouth. It was rewarding to hear a child tell me, that I smelled better than the other Santa’s. Santa should not be a smoker if possible. Kids and adults can smell a smoker from a long way off. Smoke sticks to your body and hair. Kids should only smell freshness. I also use plenty of baby powder to keep my body cool. My last words on smoking; try to give it up for the holidays. The kids and your lungs will love you for it.

Having my own foot long beard, and shoulder length white hair is a lot better than wearing a beard and a wig. Once, I decided to try wearing a fake Santa beard and wig over my real hair and beard while sitting at the mall. It was hot, hard to speak through the beard without getting fuzz in my mouth; plus the kids constantly tried to pull it off. Over the years, I started to see more and more real beard Santa’s emerge. Several real-bearded Santa groups and societies have also made the scene. It was not long after that, that the real beard Santa’s’ had their own union and pay scale. I have heard they charge
from $150 to $250 an hour, depending on their experience, location, and the time and day of the week. Although my extra long white beard and a full head of snowy hair would put most of them to shame, I am a one-man show. I play Santa for the fun of it. The shopping malls pay me $15-20 an hour, because I bring years of experience and skill to the game. For families, hospitals, churches, and veteran’s groups, my services are free. I would occasionally stand in front of my house, just waving at cars that pass by. It was something I do every year. I would gather a couple of strings in my hands and stand there perfectly still. My hand would be raised in a statue-like wave. Cars will slow down to look at the lights in the neighborhood. When they stop at my house, I would wait for several seconds motionless. Then I would wave, approach their cars and give everyone a candy cane. I was a lawn decoration that came alive.

Under my Santa suit, I wear a red lightweight thermal union suit if it is not too hot outside. Usually December sitting in the large open areas in the malls or traveling from one engagement to another, I tend to get cold. The union suit has to have extended sleeves, because when I raise my arm to wave, the Santa suit sleeve drops to expose my arm, and that is what the kids see. As the impression is eighty percent of this role, this small touch gives all those watching that Santa is wearing long johns under his Santa suit. The illusion is perfect; I am ready.
 
No one will believe you are the real deal if you do not dress the part.
 

As I mentioned earlier, it is best to wear white cotton gloves, to protect myself as well as the kids from germs and colds. I change those gloves during my fifteen-minute break every two-hours. That is when I go and “feed the reindeer.”
 
In my green Santa bag, I carry a makeup bag for those touch ups to my beard and face. It consists of a comb, hairbrush, Q-tips, scissors, paper towels, hair ties, extra handkerchief, toothbrush, and safety pins.
 
For my rosy red cheeks and nose, I use a lightly applied rouge to bring out the jolliness of my complexion. I try not to use too much, just enough shine to give a warm Santa glow. It is that same look when someone just came in from the cold outside.
 
I do take great care in putting on my makeup. When children are so close that they can see the twinkle in my eyes, I want no smudges, and no white blotches near my beard or hair.
 

For the first several Christmas seasons, before my beard turned completely white, I needed to put some clown makeup in it to cover the brown streaks. This had a two-fold effect. One, it covered the brown and blended with the white hair, and two; it would make the beard look and feel thicker. I found through trial and error that some cosmetic supply houses have a hair-whitening product called “Clown White.” Very convenient to use, as it comes on a Popsicle stick, and can be run under water and applied to a beard, mustache, and eyebrows. It will adhere to every strand of hair, dries quickly, and look natural. It also washes out with plain water. For my hair, there was little I could do with the brown streaks still in it. I just told the kids when they asked; the gray was soot from all the chimneys I climbed down.

I try not to eat gassy or exotic foods before playing Santa. Sitting for long hours after eating Mexican or other stomach altering meals tends to be very uncomfortable. I would suffer all the results of a heavy meal, like, cramps, pressure, gas, heartburn, etc. After the first time of this and not being able to get up every few minutes to walk it off or visit the bathroom, I only eat light meals, and nothing exotic or rich. I keep a bag of cookies and several bottles of water at the side of my chair for when the stomach starts to rumble for those between meal times.

Attitude

              
There is a certain attitude with playing Santa Claus. Myself, I get knee deep into the character. I think of elves, and toy schedules. God I even worry that there will not be enough snow during Christmas. I have compiled a list of ideas and observations through the years. I consider them useful tools to make the persona of Santa Claus as real as it can be. Armed with the tools and experience I have gathered;
Christmas for me is more than just December 25. It is all year long, or the single day I happen to find myself. I have learned to shape my beliefs and my attitude as Santa, so my actions will have a real purpose.
 It boils down to the most important thing, and that is to have fun! The children will love it, and remember it always. For those reading this, and so you do not think I have gone off the deep end into dark waters; I know that I am me and not Santa, as this is an acting job that requires a character portrayal.

I
always stay in character, no matter what. Remember Santa does not get mad, and is not loud or boisterous, except in the Ho ho’s. I watch other Santa’s to get ideas. See what they do to become relaxed and at ease. Listening to the way they talk, and the tone of their voice. I never feel the character I portray is ever finished. There always seems room to improve upon.
Kids are very observant. They will want to remember everything when Santa came to visit, and will recall the smallest detail later. For other children, no amount of toys will get them to come near me.

A good Santa has to be constantly aware of sudden moves by children. Sometimes it is a grab for the hat or beard, or an attempt to get off your lap. I never restrain a child if he or she wants down. I will help them off my knee, so they do not fall and get hurt. I never want a child thinking he or she cannot get away from Santa when they want to. I have had children sitting on my knee talking about what they wanted for Christmas, and in mid-sentence, they bolt off my leg and run to a parent. No rhyme or reason, they must have realized where they were and needed to put some distance between us. Young children, 2-3, will become rigid like a board and try to slide off your knee. If that does not work, they go into self-defense mode and start swinging at my face. I learned early on, to keep a good distance from a child and my face. The end of a knee is perfect. After a few scratches to the face and a pair of broken Santa glasses, one tends to learn new techniques rather quickly. My staff of elves is instructed not to grab a child and put them on my lap or knee. I let the parents do the lifting and setting. Other times, if the child reaches for me, then I will put them on my knee. A stranger grabbing a kid; as th
e act of reaching for and grabbing scares a child, and only heightens their fear.

I tend to laugh a lot when I am near kids, as a
proper Claus ought to have pleasant breath, his beard curled just so and a hearty laugh that rumbles not from the throat but from deep below the diaphragm.
There is nothing like a good hearty laugh to put a child at ease. Besides how can you be scared at someone who is always laughing? Be natural when you laugh, do not force it. Practice smiling to yourself in a mirror. Make faces, raise your eyebrows, and wrinkle your nose and belly laugh. The ho ho’s is your trademark and should be a hearty deep-throated laugh or chuckle. A jolly laugh from the heart will lessen a child’s anxiety. I have learned to make my ho ho’s consistent and loud enough that it can be heard at the other end of the shopping mall. That deep and sometimes thunderous ho ho’s is almost like the Pied Piper as kids hear me and drag their parents to where I am sitting and waiting for them.

Half of this is an illusion. You must have the attitude that kids are fun, and can do no wrong. As I said before "There is no such thing as a bad kid." It is just a good kid forgetting he is supposed to be good. I have two sons, and I get ideas from them from time to time. I will also show interest in the child and make them the center of my attention. I try to make them feel that I am there just for them. When a child is with me, I talk to them and not at them. If you truly believe that you are Santa, then you will act like him.
 
I remember back when I was young lad and wanted adults to talk to me like I was somebody, not just a kid. Even at an immature age, I did not like it when someone older would talk down to kids. Kids are cool, and I put myself in their shoes when I assume the role of Santa.

Do not be a sit-down Santa, be animated and not a lump sitting in a chair. Try walking around, and go to where the kids are. I work at
 
a couple of the big malls in the area and when it's slow, I get up from my chair and go into stores near Santa's area and talk with the kids. They love it when Santa is friendly and at their level. It is not just putting a red suit and doing a few ho ho's. More than that, it is an attitude; it is what you need to be. Anyone can put on a suit and beard, and go out and sit with kids and talk to them. I found that if you act the character as fully as you can, it radiated from you. Kids see that, and start feeling it too. They are comfortable with you, and believe you are an actual person.
“It is not something you can do easily if you are not a people person.” My wife says that I am just a big kid at heart.

If you decide to do Santa just to hit on kid’s mothers or even for the money, think twice. If you are not totally into acting as the character of Santa, find another pastime.
 
Do it for the children, and not for your own agenda. If done right, results can be seen immediately, providing you take it seriously. I measure my success by the impact I have on the children. If a child is smiling and laughing after visiting with me, then I succeeded in my portrayal of Santa. I maintain a personal connection with children by taking the time to talk about other things, not just toys. Questions about their school, friends, or their favorite TV shows, says I am interested in you as a person, not just a kid.