The Little Guy and Santa

It's September already and before you know it the 2009 Christmas Season will be in full swing. This year will be different for me, and along with it there will be many new challenges. For one thing, I'll be doing all my own bookings so I'll be much busier. One Santa suit has been cleaned and is ready to go plus I have a beautiful new very expensive Santa outfit for this season. Another thing is I'm making some Santa videos which I'm excited about—I can't wait to get them online. In the coming weeks there are a number of other things I'll be telling you about.

I really love this picture which was taken at a party last December. This guy was just the sweetest little fellow with the nicest expression on his face. When it comes to Christmas the little ones are really special. There is so much to do before the new season begins I really don't know if I'll get it all done.

Woops -- I got so excited about talking about this cute little baby I almost forgot to upload his picture. When I look at this picture there is one thing that strikes me, did they really have to put up the sign saying "Santa" above me? I really thought most people could figure that one out. Best Wishes and hope you're having beautiful spring weather where ever you are. Until next time HO HO HO! 

Gosh spring is here and its been awhile since I have posted anything. The calendar may say spring but last Sunday when I got up it looked like Christmas all over again. There was about six inches of snow and all the early spring flowers were covered. Feeling lazy and not wanting to shovel one more time I figured if I waited a couple of days it would be gone and I was right. 

The Picture you see here is Santa at home wearing a tee shirt my son Mark gave me for Christmas. If you can't read it it says: 

Four stages of life: 

1. You believe in Santa

2. You believe Santa is fake

3. You play Santa

4. You look like Santa

Well, I sure hope I look like Santa, you don't have much credibility with the kids if you don't.

Here is a picture from a couple of years ago that I really love. It was at a company party and I was really been nervous before I got there. What happened was it was a Saturday afternoon in mid-December and two lanes of traffic were closed on I-88, leaving only one open lane. Even though I had given myself more than enough time to get where I was going, nothing moved for about forty-five minutes. When traffic finally started up I was really worried I wasn't going to make it so I raced as fast as I could to the company headquarters. Fortunately I was only about ten or fifteen minutes late because the children were really anxious to see old Claus. This little guy was one of the last ones I saw that afternoon and because he was only a couple of weeks old the parents really wanted to get his first picture with Santa. They were really delighted and so was I. Until next time.  

In the photo you see here , is a Muslim family. I think that's really nice because for one, it goes against the stereotype that all Muslims are anti-Christian, since Santa is a symbol of Christmas, the ultimate Christian holiday.

Santa Never Knows What to Expect

Earlier this week I had a call from Marty Chasen. Marty is a Chicago area photographer who asked me to be a Santa for a corporate client of his in Skokie, last December 6th. His call reminded me of that event. The company had a holiday party in their plant and about two hundred families attended. Each family was offered a free picture with Santa and most people accepted. It was an incredibly busy three hours because that's a lot of pictures to take in that time frame. No one, of course had to have their picture taken. 

 

Santa You're Great! You're the Best!

The first picture you see below is a little guy who was at the Carmen Marine Co-op party in Chicago on December 19th. His parents both came from Romania and his dad drives a semi. The second picture is of a boy who met Santa at the Church Creek Senior Home party on December 6th. He was a great kid and had a very sweet smile.

Santa you're great, you're the best! My children were thrilled meeting you! Like anyone else, I'm human and love to hear things like this. While it's all very flattering, you're probably thinking, "this guy is too good to be true," and you're probably right! You shouldn't let yourself get a big head when you get a little praise. Now what do I think about myself? If you were to ask me, without trying to be overly modest about it, I think I'm a pretty good Santa. Some, maybe even a lot of the men who play the part are with out a doubt, a lot better at it than me. That's what keeps me on my toes. Unfortunately there are too many people who think all they have to do to be the 'old guy' is to get a red suit, a white beard, some boots and instantly they are transformed into Santa Claus. Possibly so, but unless you have done it for awhile, you really don't know a thing.

If you're ever thinking about playing the role, take a look at the five most important qualities a really good Santa should have, which are listed below. I really hate to see someone who doesn't take the job seriously, or worse yet is totally unconvincing or ignorant about how to play the part. Now lets be honest, you can never take anything for granted and when it comes right down to it, none of us are really all that great! I am always trying hard to be a better Santa, and I'm always looking ahead. As a matter of fact I'm already getting ready for the 2009 Christmas season. Why? Well,  I know things aren't going to be easy this year, so I've started contacting people and preparing for November and December, even though it's only February. A lot of the bookings I had last year aren't going to be there when Christmas rolls around this season. Incidentally, it's one thing to lose some Santa work, but something entirely different if you have lost your livelihood. I know a lot of you are going through this and my heart goes out to you. Let's all hope  things start to come back before the end of the year.