How to be a Professional Santa

I've been a professional mall Santa for ten+ years (under the name Santa Fe Santa) and just found your site. I like what I see, and expect to become a customer when I need more items.

Pat Lewis's hints for newbies were particularly good, and thanks very much for making that available. If I could make a couple of suggestions .....

Definitely memorize the names of the reindeer -- in fact, learn "The Poem" by heart if you can. (All Santas have to be good actors, anyway! You're playing a role that kids have expectations for, so play it to the hilt.) And Pat is very good!

I learned years ago to apply white make-up to my eyebrows by going from the *outer* edge to the inner one, *against* the grain of the hair. This gets the cream make-up *into* the hair, not just on top of it (visual model = the late Andy Rooney). Because I have my own natural beard, I use just a little of the same stuff on the darker spots. And I recommend using an old toothbrush to apply it.

Incidentally, if you have a *real* beard, kids hardly ever dare to yank on it, except of course for the under-one-year-olds who grab at everything. Kids know that this guy with the real whiskers really is Santa, man!

To expand on Pat's rap about shy kids: Santa is usually the *first* non-family member those really small ones have ever met. But he's not exactly a stranger, either, so the Santa Encounter is a real social watershed for them. Santa has the responsibility of making sure the little ones learn how get along with somebody who is not their uncle or grandpa. Don't be the rat who sours a kid on strangers -- that could breed an anti-social little monster and cause trouble later on for everyone! Pat's advice to enlist Mommy as an old pal ("Remember when *you* sat here on Santa's knee?\") is solid. Dad can also be a good helper.

Be sure to tell Mom, Dad and the Gramps how much Santa appreciates their help. This helps plant the seed in the kids' minds that will later become the realization that Santa is an *idea* and that they, themselves, can *become* Santas in their own right (I usually suggest this to the transitional ones who are about 9 or 10, as in "You're ready to become my special helper...")

Thanks again for offering such a complete service and selection of items. I will be back.

Oh, and have a Merry Christmas, everyone!

Thanks...................

Santa Bill
Santa Fe

P.S.
I use a pinkish rouge on my cheeks and a bright red for the nose. Pat's right: get it cheaper at the drugstore or dime store.