You're Now A Mall Santa Series #3

This article is #3 in a series and is Copyright August 2005 by
http://www.santaclausca.com, Loring Windblad and Windy Dawn
Marketing and is based upon Loring’s experiences as Santa for
the past 37 years. This article may be freely copied and used on
other web sites only if it is copied complete with all links and
text, including this header, intact and unchanged except for
minor improvements such as misspellings and typos.
It can’t hurt you to check out “Reprint of a New York Times
Article on Mall Santas” again to refresh your ideas and then
come back here.
There’re so many other things one needs to know to be successful
as a Mall Santa.
During my three half-day training sessions, which were conducted
by “professional” Santas, we learned all the rules by which we
had to abide working for this employer, “Claus Encounters”. We
also learned all the don’ts of the business.
Santa’s basic don’ts are: !Santa does not deliver “live pets”..
!Santa is not God and cannot act like God. !Santa helps promote
the Mall Shops where he works. !Don’t go out as Santa unless you
are properly and completely dressed. !Santa does not promise
specific presents for the child. !It’s not “Happy Holidays” –
it’s “Merry Christmas”. !Santa does not drink any alcohol.
However, if the parents ask Santa to explain the true meaning of
Christmas, Santa must know the relationship between Jesus and
Christmas, the reason we give gifts at Christmas (to celebrate
the birth of Christ just as the wise men celebrated by bringing
gifts to Christ at his birth), and you can even tie in the fact
that we give birthday gifts during the year in additional
celebration of the giving of gifts at Christmas.
However, if the parents ask Santa to explain the true meaning of
Christmas, Santa must know the relationship between Jesus and
Christmas, the reason we give gifts at Christmas (to celebrate
the birth of Christ just as the wise men celebrated by bringing
gifts to Christ at his birth), and you can even tie in the fact
that we give birthday gifts during the year in additional
celebration of the giving of gifts at Christmas.
I had a friend at church who wanted me to help him get a job as
Santa. I personally both liked him and didn’t believe he’d make
a good Santa. But, after a lot of prompting I finally referred
him to my boss, the head Santa (Rick), along with my personal
reservations about him.
Rick got short of Santas due to the flu and called my friend
from church in for an interview. Somehow he passed. Now my
friend was studying to be a minister at the time and later
became a minister. In the meantime, he got his basic Santa
training, all the do’s and don’ts, and finally placement in a
mall subbing for another Santa who was out sick.
Rick spent a couple of hours that day behind his chair listening
to him handle the children. His report to me: “It was great. I
loved it. The kids loved it. We had fun. I can’t wait till the
next time.” Rick’s report to me: “He’s so tied up in religion. I
kept telling him Santa is a toymaker, not God. He kept telling
the kids ‘Wish list? Oh, that’s bad. You’ve got to pray to God
for what you want’ and lots more.” I went over the rules of
conduct for two hours afterwards. I think he’s finally got it?”
He didn’t get it, though.
Rick didn’t have much choice on this as the other Santa missed
two days sick. Next sick out my friend is back on the job. He
has to drive several miles from home to the mall and when he
arrived found he had forgotten his Santa beard. So instead of
being a little late and going home for the beard, he dressed out
and used his wig, backwards, beneath his nose, as a beard and
moustache. He said “and the little kids just loved me.” He was
still preaching, as well.
Santa has an “image” to maintain and he must always “look the
part” properly. Your Elf or Mrs. Claus helper needs to give you
a final rundown check to make sure you are set before you go out.
Rick finally had had it with him and sent him out on a
“walk-through” at the local Airport, figuring he couldn’t get
any worse. Mistake. It’s been several years and I no longer
remember all the gory details, but after two days walking the
Airport Rick finally had to let my friend go. What I remember
most is apologizing profusely to Rick, several times, for having
even recommended him. Rick said it wasn’t my fault, that he and
his partner had conducted the interview and had approved him
themselves, it had nothing to do with my recommendation. I still
feel bad, however, thinking back on it.
Now in the case of pets, teenage girls in particular often want
a particular boy for Christmas, who may be a classmate or who
may be an actor or athlete. “Well, you know, Santa really can’t
deliver live pets” sort of lets them down easy and saves Santa
some embarrassment.
But what do you do about the child who wants a puppy or kitty or
gerbil or hamster or some other live pet? This is a very
legitimate “problem” for Santa. In most cases the child is not
going to get a live pet, usually because of the place where they
live and that they can’t have pets.
Remember the rule, Santa is a “toy maker”, not a pet maker. How
I handle this, and how I was taught to handle it, is this.
First, call the parent who brought the child over to sit with
the child and Santa. Next explain, “OK, now you are both sworn
to secrecy. You can never tell anyone else what Santa is going
to say now, cause we don’t want to spoil Christmas for anyone
else, do we?” and, looking at mom or dad, “You know, Jodie here
wants a puppy (or etc.) for Christmas.” Usually you’re going to
get an expression that says “no way”. You’ve got to help defuse
this for the parents, also. And you’ve got to make the child
feel good about it. Your next words are, “Well, you know, Santa
can’t deliver live pets. They tend to arrive frozen after the
long trip from the North Pole and a frozen pet really isn’t
something you’d like to have.”
”Now Santa knows that sometimes Grandma’s and Grandpa’s and
Aunt’s and Uncle’s and even Mom’s and Dads sometimes give
puppies or kitties for Christmas and they say ‘from Santa’ on
them. Now if you were to happen to get a puppy or kitty or some
other live pet for Christmas and it said ‘from Santa’ on it, you
wouldn’t say ‘Bah! Humbug! I know Santa can’t bring this,’ would
you? Of course not because you know that at least half of the
fun at Christmas is giving something special to someone and
seeing how much they like it. So, if you were to get that pet
you want and it said ‘from Santa’, you could say ‘Boy! Just what
I wanted! Isn’t Santa wonderful?’ because Santa is pretty
wonderful, isn’t he?” and by this time you have the child and
parent right on your side. “Now, Jody, I’m not saying you won’t
be getting your puppy for Christmas, and I’m not saying you will
be getting one. I’m just trying to let you know how to make
someone else very happy, too, if or when you might get your
puppy.”
”So how about if Santa gets you something really special,
something just for you, just from Santa? Would that make a
pretty good Christmas, do you think? Think we might even be able
to make this the best Christmas ever, if we work at it a
little?” So far by this point I’ve got an enthusiastic child
eagerly anticipating their special surprise, just for them, from
Santa Claus.
Remember that the child is there to see Santa about making
Christmas special and Santa is doing just that, making this a
very special Christmas indeed, and within the limits of Santa.
As for drinking I cannot emphasize this enough. If you have 1
drink, a glass of wine, say, it may not be on your breath the
next day? But why take the chance. Just hold off till your day
off, or after Christmas is over. If you can’t control your
drinking you really have no business being Santa in a Mall.