Santa's Pet Day

One of the worst days for a Mall Santa is Pet Day.  This a day when Pet Owners get to bring Fluffy, Duke, and little FiFi to get a picture with Santa.

It is a joyous day for the pet owners, but not Santa.

These Animals, for the most part, want to be there less than Santa does.

They squirm, fidget, and lick Santa.

The worst animals will try to crawl up you and get in your beard.

I have been humped, licked, and had Great Danes try to sit on my lap.

And the Bad breath.  Most of it smells like week old garbage.  It is tough to smile when you feel like you are going to vomit on the set.

My worst experience was with a pair of Ferrets. They would not stop wiggling back and forth.  They were Slinky's on steroids who have one objective:  your beard.  They bounced out of control in each of my hands until they got there.  Each of them got tangled in my beard. I was freaking out.  I was trying to get them off my face.  Their owner kept telling me they would calm down, which they didn't.  They headed for my hat.
These stinky rodents were more interested in creating chaos than taking a picture.  But we did it by getting help pinning them against my stomach.

When it was done, I was left with tiny scratch marks on my face, and an instant dislike for ferrets.

And of course the call of "next pet" came from the camera person.. fortunately for me it was a docile chihuahua.

Go Forth and Do Well

Shane

Origins of a Mall Santa Claus

Bringing Magic to the Mall

 It takes all kinds to become a Mall Santa.  All have one pressing need: money.  Most Santa's basically treat it like a job.  Even fewer want to convince children that they are truly are the Jolly Old Elf.  A small minority, however, want to create a magical experience that brings people back to your Mall every year.  I was one of those.

I treated it like an acting job.  Being a method actor at heart, I became Santa every time I was on the set.  Anyone can listen to kids read off their lists, sit still for pictures, and be semi convincing to children.  It is a special few that can make children believe.

The suit, the beard, and the set are just props.  It is the man and his imagination that make the experience have meaning.

I was a part-time fake bearded Santa.  That is the lesser of the two kinds of Santas.  Malls prefer Full season and fully bearded Santas.  My kind of Santa means you have more than one Santa at your Mall.  Sometimes as many as 3 or 4 of them work the same mall. So you can see the dilemma it can cause for parents and kids who make multiple trips to a given mall.

I wanted to be the best I could be.  After all I was taking on a job where my picture would be in more homes than Elvis and Michael Jackson.  I took that responsibility seriously.

My Santa was different to say the least.  When I came out to the set, I treated it like I was a rock star greeting his fans.  On the set I made if fun for the kids.  I used accents, humor, and every tool I had in my bag of tricks.

If the camera went down, I found ways to insure we didn't loose our audience.  If had people who didn't want photos we would politely pull them through the line.  When those people were gone, I lead the rest in carols until our problem was fixed.

The job isn't always easy.  There are times when patience isn't just a virtue, its the name of the seat you sit on.

Why I became a Mall Santa

Why I became a Mall Santa

Becoming a Mall Santa isn't like any other job.

Growing up I wanted to be President.  I even thought I wanted to be a teacher.

When you are young and believe in Santa you don't think that his job is available.

I wanted to be an actor, a writer, and a soldier. Santa wasn't a job that ever crossed my mind until my sisters had kids.

It all started with a small dilemma that my sister Kim had.  She wanted her kids to visit Santa Claus without going to the mall.

She wanted pictures of her kids with Santa.

My first wife, Dorothy, said "Why don't you be Santa?"

That is how it all began.

Next thing I knew I was the Santa for my National Guard unit's Christmas Party.  And then that became an annual thing.

Then it stopped for years.  The Costume gathered dust in a closet. My wife and I divorced.  I moved to New Mexico. It seemed that my days as Santa were over.

I remarried.  Times got tough.  I needed to make some extra money during the holidays.

Like magic an add for Mall Santa's appeared in the local newspaper.  I thought about how much fun it was to be Santa.  I thought about how easy it was to get into the role. So I applied.

That was the beginning of my journey as the Jolly Old Elf.

Talking to Santa on the Internet...

Connecting to the North Pole... Please wait...North Pole Communications Company, 11-28-2012 23:42:36

Connected! Santa has entered the chat...North Pole Communications Company, 11-28-2012 23:42:38

Welcome to the North Pole! Who am I chatting with?Shane, 11-28-2012 23:42:38

ShaneShane, 11-28-2012 23:42:38

HO HO HO! Hello Shane ! Santa here! It will be jolly good fun to chat with you, my friend. How are you today?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:42:38

I am fineShane, 11-28-2012 23:42:50

I'm so happy to hear that, I'm feeling very merry today. HO HO HO! I love everything about Christmas. But, there is one super, special, favorite treat that I look forward to every year. Can you guess what that one most awesome thing is?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:42:51

noShane, 11-28-2012 23:43:02

I'll let you know if you don't tell Mrs. Claus. I always look forward to all the yummy cookies that kid's leave out for me to snack on. I love cookies. HO HO HO! Tell me, Shane, what is your most favorite cookie in the world?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:43:02

chocolate chipShane, 11-28-2012 23:43:11

I LOVE chocolate chip cookies too!! Especially with a frosty glass of milk or some nice hot cocoa. I also like them with apple cider or eggnog or just plain all on their own. But truly, I love all types of cookies. HO HO HO! How many cookies do you think I eat on Christmas?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:43:11

1Shane, 11-28-2012 23:43:21

HO HO HO! I think it's probably a lot more than that. For Christmas, I’m going to make Mrs. Claus a batch of cookies. She loves homemade gifts. I tried knitting her a scarf, but my beard got all tangled in it. Shane, would you like to help me create a cookie specially for her?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:43:22

noShane, 11-28-2012 23:43:32

I could use your help. I'll make your favorite ones, chocolate chip cookies. The Elves made a special reindeer cookie cutter. HO HO HO! I think we need to put a treat on top for extra sweetness. Which do you like better, Candy Canes or Gumdrops?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:43:32

candy canesShane, 11-28-2012 23:43:41

I love Candy Canes too. They are so Christmassy and lots of fun to eat. Let's add a little pizzazz to our cookies and color them. What is your favorite color?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:43:42

redShane, 11-28-2012 23:43:47

HO HO HO! It is just like the color of my suit and a perfect choice for a Christmas color. Mrs. Claus will love her Reindeer shaped chocolate chip cookies sprinkled with sweet stuff. Thank you for helping me. HO HO HO! Now, Shane, would you like to hear a story?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:43:47

noShane, 11-28-2012 23:43:51

Are you sure? I have some good ones up my sleeve. I'll tell you what they are and then you can decide. I have one about the Snowmen or the Elves or the Gingerbread Men? Is there one you'd like to hear?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:43:51

yesShane, 11-28-2012 23:43:54

I'm sorry, the wind is blowing so hard, my connection went wonky and I couldn't understand you. So, I'll tell you about the Snowmen's hullabaloo. The Snowmen up here in the North Pole are usually a happy bunch. But, lately they’ve all wanted toes. Snowmen have no toes. Oh my, Shane, have you ever seen a mopey Snowman?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:43:54

noShane, 11-28-2012 23:44:04

It's a terrible sight. Gloomy Snowmen get all melty and that is not good. I like my Snowmen to be happy. But, they were feeling left out. I have toes, you have toes, the Elves have very, very, very pointy toes. Do you think Snowmen should have toes?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:44:04

ho hoShane, 11-28-2012 23:44:11

HO HO HO, toes for the Snowmen. First, I tried potaTOES, but, the Reindeer gobbled them all up. They love spuds, especially tater tots or tater toes. HO HO HO! Yikes, that put the Snowmen into a tizzy. So, guess what I tried next?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:44:11

nopeShane, 11-28-2012 23:44:18

I used tomaTOES!!! I thought they would make great toes. But, the goofy reindeer stuck them on their noses to look like Rudolph. Ooh, the Snowmen were hopping mad. That's when Mrs. Claus stepped in and took over the toe troubles. Do you know what she came up with?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:44:18

really nowShane, 11-28-2012 23:44:25

MistleTOES! HO HO HO! Mrs. Claus is so clever. And they get kisses as well. Shane, Do you think the snowmen will be happy with their mistleTOES?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:44:25

stop it already old manShane, 11-28-2012 23:44:35

I hope the Snowmen will be happy with their new toes. If not, they'll get mosquiTOES in their stockings! HO HO HO! Now, we have one more very, very important thing to chat about. Can you guess what that is?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:44:36

noShane, 11-28-2012 23:44:44

HO HO HO! Tell me, Shane, what is the one special gift you are hoping for this Christmas?Santa, 11-28-2012 23:44:44

win the lotteryShane, 11-28-2012 23:44:52

HO HO HO! Let's wait and see what's in my sack for you this year. HO HO HO! Do you have any questions for me about the North Pole? I can't answer everything, but I will do my best. Ask away???Santa, 11-28-2012 23:44:52

not reallyShane, 11-28-2012 23:45:06

.mst11_17.3_400.gif Happy Holidays, my friend HO HO HO! I look forward to any cookies, wink, wink!Santa, 11-28-2012 23:45:07

huhShane, 11-28-2012 23:45:14

Happy Holidays from contentAI.com - To restart MySantaTalk, type RESET. Ho. Ho. Ho. URL: m.mysantatalk.comSanta, 11-28-2012 23:45:14

omgShane, 11-28-2012 23:45:25

Happy Holidays from contentAI.com - To restart MySantaTalk, type RESET. Ho. Ho. Ho. URL: m.mysantatalk.comSanta, 11-28-2012 23:45:26

AMC's Top Christmas movie list

 Here is a list of  AMC's top Christmas movies.

The interesting thing is that you can change the list to reflect your favorite ones.


http://movies.amctv.com/movie-guide/christmas-movies.php

Confessions of a Mall Santa.. the Blog

I spent 3 Years as a Mall Santa at one of the Malls in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area.

I wanted to devote this blog to detailing that experience, and to talk about all things Christmas.

I hope all of you will enjoy this blog.

P.S. I will also discuss my love of all things Christmas.

More soon.

SC