Here we are in the early part of July.  The year is barely half over, and I am already getting requests for Santa gigs for the coming holiday season.

For those of you who have been Santa Claus for some time, early bookings may not be anything out of the ordinary.  However, from my study of the industry, a newly minted Santa, which pretty much describes me, can best expect to get the bulk of his work from other Santas who are overbooked.  This is what I gleaned from this and other web sites, and it is what I read direct from other gentlemen at the two Santa groups I attend.  With that in mind, I try to network with other Santas as much as i can, in the hopes that I can pick up on some of their leftovers.

And yet... through the good graces of Santa Ron Campbell, my mentor, I fully expect to have a running start on other gigs.  At his insistence, I set up a GigSalad account, which I would probably have done eventually anyway, but he wanted me to do it right now (this is back in April).  I have so far gotten two inquiries on the account, and I don't even have all the recommendations that an established Santa Claus would expect to have.  I have a third request through my website, probably due to a business card I handed out while talking with someone.  There is a forth gig that Santa Ron has mentioned that he expects I can pick up.  And this is before the middle of July!

This tells me that I need to aim high.  I've already got a basic Santa Claus outfit, along with upgraded boots, belt, bells, and key, but I still have to work on the nice to have things.  My wife will be sewing me several vests, and I just order 3 sets of Christmas style buttons to complete these.  While we're at it, I will probably make sure we make some extra long Santa caps to replace the ones shipped with the Santa Suit.  In addition, every Santa Claus needs a Toy Bag, so I will want to put one of these together.  We have about 6 yards of material to do all this, 4 yards in a red fabric with gold tree pattern, and 2 yards of plain red fabric.  If we need more, Jo-Anne's is just a few miles down the road.