Confessions Of A One Time Santa

(This was originally posted on this blog in December 2007)

When my kids were in elementary school, there was a dad that would put on the Santa suit each year and he’d be driven in on a fire truck during the middle of a fire drill when the entire student body was out on the playground. After wishing everyone a Merry Christmas through a loud speaker, the kids would go back to class and Santa would make the rounds to each of the classrooms. The kids loved it.

However, once the dad’s youngest son was gone from the school, we had no one to play Santa. It was 1995 and I was the PTA president that year. We asked a number of the dads that were active with out Foundation and with PTA. We asked our male staff members. No luck. Everyone said no. So we were faced with not having a Santa Claus visit that year. To top things off, one family that was new to our school, said they were offended by the Santa visits because they were of a different faith and their children did not believe in Santa Claus. For a while, we thought we’d just quietly put an end to the tradition. Then some other mothers spoke up and said that they would be just as offended by not having a Santa Claus. It was very difficult to please them all and we tried to keep in mind that the ones that we should really be trying to please were the children. So we had a compromise. We continued to look for a Santa Claus but instead of having him arrive on school grounds, during school time, we had Santa appear at our after school Santa Shoppe, a Christmas boutique for the kids to come buy gifts for their family. The idea was that Santa would sit in a chair in the side room which would be decorated appropriately and parents could bring their kids in to sit on Santa’s lap and tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. One mom set up with a Polaroid camera in case someone wanted a picture.

One problem remained. We had no Santa Claus! I couldn’t stand disappointing the kids, and Christmas is MY DAY! My birthday is on Christmas and I love the holiday. So I was determined to have Santa Claus visit the children, even if I had to wear the suit myself. And that’s exactly what I did. I was Santa Claus that year. There was just one problem. My youngest child was in kindergarten and desperately needed to keep believing in Santa Claus. So how would I handle that? I finally got the idea to just tell her that Santa was very busy so close to Christmas and he had to have helpers and I had been chosen as one of his helpers that year. She was so excited! Her mommy was Santa’s official helper! We swore her to secrecy so none of the other kids would find out. She gladly obeyed!

That one afternoon that I spent inside the Santa suit was one of the best six hour periods I have ever spent. It was hot in the suit. The wig and facial hair were itchy. But that didn’t matter. I was Santa Claus and as such, I was the subject of every child’s fantasy! They came and talked to me and held my hand, sat on my lap and asked me to go for a walk with them. Every hour or so, my daughter would hold one of my hands and we’d walk around the main room of the boutique saying hi to the kids and moms and letting them take our picture. For just a little while, I was idolized by so many! There was complete trust in me as Santa. They all wanted to be around me. I felt like the Pied Piper!

If you ever get the opportunity to play Santa, do it! You won’t regret it. It is the best feeling in the world!

In this photo, we are on our hourly walk to meet and greet. My daughter is the little dark haired girl holding my hand.

Another photo of me as Santa Claus. These are from my PTA President’s scrap book so I didn’t have control over the quality of the photos.