People often ask me what it is like to be a mall Santa or as my kids tell their kids a “Santa’s Helper” and the answer usually depends on the day. I can hear fifty normal requests from the little boys and girls but then get one single question that will go either right to my lips or right to my tear-ducts. Santa hears them all from A to Z, the comical requests for things like Baby Alive dolls from little boys to the heartbreaking plea of a child to bring back Mommy and Daddy who were killed in a car crash.

Santa begins each session of knee sitting by as actors call it getting into character.  I have to be prepared emotionally and physically for what up to six hours of sitting on Santa’s Chair may bring. Coffee often keeps my energy levels alert and cold drinks keep me from dehydrating from the heat of a suit made for Northern climates being used in a mall heated for customer’s comfort.  I often see the lineups stretching off down the mall and though it is daunting, when I ring my bell and yell “Ho Ho Ho hello boys and girls!”, they know I mean it and it comes from the heart.

There are so many perks to being a mall Santa. Often, as time will allow, my helpers and I will spend hours cultivating the trust of a little boy or girl to help them get their picture taken with Santa. My motto is usually whatever it takes because when we see the parent or grandparent’s face light up at seeing little John or Suzie’s picture it makes it all worth while. 

There is also a difficult parts to being Santa that most people don't consider. At the end of the day Santa is literally soaked under his suit, his throat often cracked and raw from so much ho ho ho-ing, his old knees often throb from the weight of so many children (and sometimes adults) and his back and butt hurt from sitting on a chair that although looks like a throne is actually as comfortable as sitting on a log. I have often left work emotionally drained and spent wishing I could really create miracles and bring back a child’s parent, mend the pending divorce of a couple or make a sick child, aunt grandparent etc better. That though is not my job but God’s and all I can do is say a prayer for them and offer them a hug for sometimes even such a small act of kindness goes a long way.

So dear friends, that is a little of what it is like to be a Mall Santa. It is not all glamor and belly laughs but it is real emotions and a lot of love. So next time you see me or some other Santa's Helper in a mall don’t forget to offer him a cold drink or just a word or two of encouragement to keep his smile tank on full. I love my job and all it takes is one big hug from one little child to make it all worthwhile.

Santa Fee