Santa Claus quite literally came to town last weekend. He’s making a list, checking it twice and hanging out at the Plant City Strawberry Classic Cruise-In.
Nine professional Santa Clauses and a few of their wives gathered at the show with holiday-themed cars, telling those who walked by their other vehicle was drawn by eight tiny reindeer.
The group was a small portion of the Palm Tree Santas, the Florida chapter of the International Brethren of Real Bearded Santas. The group meets several times a year to catch up and fellowship together.
These men don’t simply don the red suit in December and then live normal lives for the rest of the year. To them, Santa is a lifestyle, a character they remain committed to year round. After all, though they may be in Levi’s jeans, a young child will be able to look at them and know who they are.
“If you’re working around the house, say you’re painting it, and you need to go to the hardware store to get supplies, you can’t just leave in your ratty clothes,” Bob Elkin, president of the Palm Tree Santas, said. “You have to freshen up because what could happen is you’ll walk in that store and a child will see you, see your big, white beard and they’ll know. You have to look presentable all the time.”
The Santas attend a Santa School to learn how to accurately represent the man who embodies the spirit of Christmas. The seminars prepare them for not only the joy they will bring, but also the sorrow they will face as Father Christmas.
As the group of men stood in the blazing Florida sun they began to recount some of the heartbreaking moments they’ve had to push through as Santa.
Children have asked for them to “bring daddy home,” they’ve seen children attached to wires, unable to offer a smile as they lay comatose in their hospital bed on Christmas Eve, children whose parents said with a watery smile this would more than likely be the last time they would see Kris Kringle, children who ask Santa to use his magic to make their loved ones happy again after losing a family member.
“I once was visiting children in hospice care,” Elkin said. “I got a block from the house and broke.”
When such situations arrive, the group said they have to carefully explain there are some things Santa can’t do. Sometimes, if the circumstance is appropriate, they’ll hold the child’s hand and offer to sit with him in a silent moment of prayer. The pain is inevitable, but all of the Santas said it is unequivocally worth the cost.
There are so many more happy moments as the elusive Claus, Elkin said, and even the tough ones offer things the men can “draw from” as they walk the footsteps of St. Nicholas. The IBRBS even has a Santa Claus Oath that is signed by members who vow to use their “powers to create happiness, spread love and make fantasies come to life in the true and sincere tradition of the Santa Claus Legend.”
However, the men were adamant parents and employers only hire Santas who get a background check.
“Get somebody you know that’s safe,” Santa Steve Hadala said. “Or get someone who passes a background check. We are professionals and this is what we go to school for.”
Elkin, who originally began his career 25 years ago as Santa after he was filling in for a man who called in sick, said the lessons he learned after first attending Santa School completely changed his mindset on the craft.
His very first lesson he was asked, “Why does Santa wear white gloves?” After the students all made guesses about the mythology of the story their teacher bluntly informed them it was so their hands would be visible in the photos at all times.
This isn’t a joke or a weird hobby to these men. They’ve committed to this lifestyle because they have seen firsthand the joy it can bring. Many of their wives get in on the career and train to become Mrs. Claus.
The Palm Tree Santas also have a drill team that participates in Honor Flights, parades and many other veterans activities. They love their country and believe their mission in life is to spread goodwill and cheer to all they meet. In fact, the group’s motto is simply “collect smiles.”
“It doesn’t matter where you are or what group you’re visiting, the look in those children’s eyes when they see you, the love you feel from across the room makes it all worth it,” Elkin said. “Their eyes are like saucers whenever they see us. I tell everyone that I’m just not sure that God intended for an old man to have as much fun as Santa does.”