Totally agree! Nicely said and thanks for letting us know!

Amen, brother! 

I'm a simple man with a simple mind, so I suppose I will simply be a simple Santa. 

17 minutes ago, bllwnkl said:

I'm a simple man with a simple mind, so I suppose I will simply be a simple Santa. 

Wasn't that a Lynyrd Skynyrd song? 

Hmmm? 

Amen. Since I am a non-real bearded Santa, i keep Santa separate from my life. He only comes out when asked to appear. Santa needs only to be Santa when the call arises.

Sadly it has turned from a wish to make children and adults happy during the Christmas season, as my late father and uncle did never even thinking of taking or asking for money to  a Santa for profit year round thing. Sad reality,I remember as a child no sign of Santa until the Friday after Thanksgiving and he was gone from site Christmas morning.It was the magic and fantasy of the experience. Today it has diminished because of the year round exposure and all to make a buck.

1 hour ago, Santa TJS said:

Sadly it has turned from a wish to make children and adults happy during the Christmas season, as my late father and uncle did never even thinking of taking or asking for money to  a Santa for profit year round thing. Sad reality,I remember as a child no sign of Santa until the Friday after Thanksgiving and he was gone from site Christmas morning.It was the magic and fantasy of the experience. Today it has diminished because of the year round exposure and all to make a buck.

Agreed. I have too many photographers calling and asking for photo sessions starting in June. I have decided that my Santa character will enjoy the beauty of Christmas. Every day I see a new gimmick or something new that every Santa needs to purchase for the children. I guess I feel if you do Santa right, all you need is yourself and a little bit of Christmas magic which we find in ourselves.

As a relatively new real bearded Santa, I have struggled a bit with how to handle the occasional stares and sideways glances from children and parents as I go about my daily errands and chores. Outright questions like: Are you Santa's brother? - Are you Santa? Have caught me off guard.

I agree completely in keeping Santa anonymous (magical).

Thankfully, I have the good fortune to learn from members on this site who have shared their knowledge and experience.

Faced with the commercial aspects of what Santa and Christmas in general have become I believe we can still  keep the magic and legend of Santa alive.

Perhaps that belief makes naive but those of  us who truly hold the idea of being Santa in our hearts will prevail.

i guess my biggest issue with the Santa's in the market, if you don't have a real beard your not a Santa. The magical of being Santa comes from within not because you have a real beard. That's what i like about Clausnet, we are all equal,seeking the same information. too many  "Santas" are too busy to help out another Santa with mentorship. I am looking for a mentor that I can learn from so I can carry on the traditions of being Santa.  I sat down and spoke with a new Santa that is in his 70s last night and he was amused that I am who I am outside the suit. I have learned that Santa needs only to be Santa during a special time of the year.

Hmmm...looks familiar

I used to feel special appearing as Santa... It was a transforming event! I'm struggling with the drive for more suits, more props, theatrical beards vs real beard. I like making extra money during the holidays but also want to expand on the use of the "Red Suit" to do good. Feel a bit lost at times... Santa schools everywhere, yet many are redundant and lack in any new information or ideas. I guess each of us makes our decision about the "type" of Santa we hope to portray. Fortunately, when the suit goes on, all other things pass away, the spirit takes over, Holy or Christmas? I'm not sure... but it's there...

So...what's  your thoughts about KISS...Keep it simple Santa, approach 

I am relatively new to Santa Claus portrayal.  I grew my beard out after knee replacement surgery 2019, and everyone commented about, my "Santa like" appearance.  I didn't "dress like Santa" yet I was being recognized as Santa.  I loved Christmas as a child and the magic and wonder of Santa, still do, so I attended CW Howards Santa School and embarked on my portrayal of Santa.  My desire was and is to be the most authentic Santa portrayal artist possible.  What I found is, I am Santa.  What I mean by that is; I carry the Spirit of Christmas with me year-round.  I am a Christian and to me, Santa shares the LOVE of CHRIST daily.  If I am recognized as Santa, at a store, a restaurant, walking about, or at church, I do not ignore their interest or inquiry, I engage them with a wink or a nod and try to spread some joy, if only for a moment.  Yes, I agree St Nick was secretive.  Saint Nicholas was a wealthy individual who spread his family's wealth to people less fortunate than he.  He did it in secret so as not to offend the people to whom he gave charity, human pride must have been at play.

Today's Santa was created as a marketing character to advertise and sell Coca Cola.  His back story embellished in the original poem "A visit from St Nicholas" or "The Night before Christmas" and Hollywood has certainly developed various tales and stories around the character of Santa, some good and some not so good.  The benefit for us as Santa Claus now; is we get to "develop and own" our individual portrayal of Santa Claus, incorporating a vast array of details both old and new, creating an imaginative Santa rendition that drives the wonder of children and adults. I also realized that todays children have very different views and expectations of Santa than my parents and grandparents.  So Santa has to capture the imagination of the young while refreshing memories of the adults and elders in the room.

I was coached early in my Santa Claus life (CE Howard School) to, "be the best Santa Claus that I can be," and do not compare my Santa portrayal to any other Santa.  Unfortunately, we live in a society that thrives on comparison, so it is easier said than done.  Specially with all the magnificent Santa wardrobe being created by talented seamstresses.  I recently saw a cartoon image of Santa Claus in a Space Suit on Mars... who knows what the future holds for Santa Claus and how long we can get people to cling to the past or develop his future.