Being a mall Santa might seem like a relatively easy job: Put a kid on your lap, ask them what they want for Christmas, pose for a quick photo, and send them on their merry way. But any Santa whoโs done even one season at the mall will tell you the job takes dedication.
โThereโs no harder job in all of Christmas than being the mall Santa,โ saysย Paul Sheehan, who worked as a Santa at a mall in rural New Hampshire and is now in his 36th season as a professional Mr. Claus. โBetween Black Friday and Christmas Eve at 3 pm, I had seen over 17,000 kids. Someone in a bigger city, theyโre doing twice and three times that.โ
But thereโs a reason thousands of rotund, bearded men don the suit every year: While demanding, being Santa is also incredibly rewarding. We spoke with a few professional Kris Kringles about what itโs like being the seasonโs biggest celebrity.
1. THEY GO TO SANTA COLLEGE.
If youโve ever perched on Santaโs knee at your local mall, thereโs a good chance he was a graduate of Santa University, run byย Noerr Programs Corporation, an events company that trains and distributes Santas to more than 278 major malls and shopping centers across the country. Each Noerr Santa has to pass a background check and undergo several rounds of interviews. And a real beard is required. โThatโs part of the magic,โ says Ruth Rosenquist, Noerrโs Director of PR.
Every August, Noerr hosts itsย Santa Universityย in Arvada, Colorado, where hundreds of โgentlemen of great mirth and girthโ gather for four days of training on everything from Santa ethics to how to ho-ho-ho. โItโs amazing to sit with all these guys in their red shirts and suspenders,โ Rosenquist says. โYou look up and youโre speaking to Santa. Itโs the best audience in the world.โ Watch a sneak peek below:
2. RULE #1: ALWAYS STAY IN CHARACTER.
If youโre wearing the red suit, you must behave like Santa at all times. This means having a jolly temperament and never snapping or yelling at a child, no matter how frustrated you may be.
โThe most important thing they need to understand is that they are Santa and they always are to remain in character of Santa,โ says Rosenquist. โTheyโre never to break that character.โ
For some of the more professional St. Nicks, the white beard and big belly stays with them all year, so they have to be careful about how theyโre representing the jolly old elf in public. This means being on oneโs best behavior and fielding questions like, โSanta, what are you doing at the grocery store?โ
Robert Hildreth, a professional Santa of 30 years, says he doesnโt drink when he goes out for dinner with his wife Carol Hildreth (a.k.a. Mrs. Claus) because he wants to be the model image of Santa for children. โYou gotta watch what you say and do because the kids are looking at you,โ he says.
But playing a convincing Santa all year round comes with its perks, like the occasional free meal. โWeโve had a couple incidents where weโve gone into restaurants and the little ones notice us,โ Carol explains. โHeโll go over and talk to them a bit and then when we go to pay the bill itโs already been taken care of.โ
3. THEY KNOW WHERE THE MALLโS SECRET BATHROOMS ARE.
โI refuse to go to the public restroom if itโs at all avoidable,โ says RG Holland, one of Noerrโs men in red. โThe whole deal of being Santa, particularly at the mall, is when youโre dressed as Santa you have to stay in character and itโs kinda hard to be in a Santa suit staying in character in front of a urinal.โ
In some malls, Santas have their own designated dressing area complete with a bathroom. And if not, they improvise. โI find the restroom in the mall that is the most obscure and private,โ Holland says. โIf I have trouble finding those, I find the nearest department store and use one of their restrooms thatโs out of the way.โ
4. THEY SECRETLY SWAP.
If a Santa needs to take a lunch break or his shift is ending, sometimes another one will step in without anyone noticing. โIn the busiest of malls, we often set it up so there are two Santas and we try to match in terms of physical appearance so itโs not that obvious in mid-day when we swap,โ says Holland. โWe donโt want anyone saying โThatโs not Santa!โ A lot of times even parents and especially kids, if they didnโt see us together, they wouldnโt know which was which.โ
5. THEY GET A BODYGUARD.
According to Rosenquist, every Noerr Santa gets an escort when he leaves the set. This is supposed to discourage the mobs of fans from attacking him.
6. THEREโS A RIGHT WAY AND A WRONG WAY TO BLEACH A BEARD.
While some naturally-bearded Santas are blessed with snowy white bristles, others arenโt so lucky. In that case, bleaching is the best option, but only when itโs done gradually and with great care. โItโs gotta be done in stages,โ says Rosenquist. โIf you try to go snowy white all at once, youโll burn your hair and it gets yellow.โ Smart Santas begin the coloring process in October in preparation for the holiday season.
7. THE MONEYโS PRETTY GOOD.
Noerr doesnโt disclose how much it pays its actors, but according to Rosenquist, itโs a salaried position, and the rate can vary by location. Ed Warchol, president of Cherry Hill Photo, another Santa distributor,ย says his Santas earn โwell into the five-figure range for just six weeks of work.โ