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.
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