​Had a bit of a scare last night…A little boy of about 4, maybe 5 years old came and sat on my lap. The pictures were taken and we had a moment to talk, so I asked what he wanted for Christmas. There was the typical list of various toys, but one of them caught my attention…

Boy: …and a monster truck!
Me: oh those are fun, aren’t they?!?
Boy: Yeah! And in the back of it I want it filled with food.
Me: Did you say you wanted a monster truck filled with food?
Boy: yeah. I want a truck filled with food.

My heart dropped and I got a pit in my stomach and I thought, “this is it. This is my nightmare.” So I glanced around the stage and made sure to check mom’s reaction and look at her figure (the why of that becomes evident, if it isn’t already). I bounced him on my knee a few times and adjusted his position on my lap to make sure that he didn't feel malnourished, and continued…

Me: are you hungry? Or is there another reason you want a truck full of food?
Mom heard this and started laughing. She clearly was not starving, and I didn’t think the boy was, either at this point, but I also wasn’t entirely sure.

Boy: maybe just a apple.
Me: Okay. What’s that for? What are you going to do with the food?
Boy: give it to my doggie! I want to give him lots of snacks for Christmas!
Boy’s mom laughing: Did he just say he wants a truck full of food so he can give his puppy snacks?!!
Me: Yes ma’am he did! I gotta say I started getting concerned when he asked for a truck full of food.
Boy’s Aunt: See, I told you you were going to have problems when you let him give the puppy treats whenever he wanted then took the treats away from him!
​
Needless to say, I was relieved and we all got a chuckle!

Tonight I was scheduled at my festival gig. As usual, I did the bulk of my prep at home, so when I left the house my hair was set ready and, aside from a bit of touch-up work, so was my beard. But I had to stop to pick up some Red Bull and a beef jerky, as has become my routine at this point. This time, though, I also needed gas, so I pulled up to the pump instead of a parking space, got out and started pumping my gas.

I could hear a woman talking to a little girl on the other side of the pump. I couldn't really tell what they were saying over the noise of traffic and such. They got about half-way from the pumps to the convenience store when I noticed that the little girl had stopped dead in the middle of the parking lot and was staring at me with wide-eyed excitement. It's worth mentioning that I was wearing black sweats, a grey tee-shirt with a picture of Santa's face and the caption "I'm watching" that I bought at Walmart for $4.99, and a pair of sneakers. The little girl said something to the grandmother who said something to the effect of "he's watching you!" I smiled at the little girl and with a wink and wave I turned back to the pump and they walked inside. 

When I finished pumping my gas I walked inside the store and saw the grandmother. As I turned to walk down the isle to the back of the store where Santa's Magic Elixir (read: Red Bull) is kept, I saw the little girl who looked up at me and made a b-line for her grandmother who said, "see, I told you he's watching you." Honestly, my knee-jerk thought was "that's kind of creepy!" I knelt down on one knee so I could get eye level with the little girl and speak to her...and make some Santa magic happen....

Me: Young lady, what is your name?
Her: Sarah-Jane
Her Grandmother very excited: This is Sarah-Jane!
I looked up at her grandmother, smiled and gave her a quick wink and said, "I thought that's what she said."
Her Grandmother: Yes, Sir, she did! She said her name is Sarah-Jane!
I chuckled and turned back to Sarah Jane.

Me: Well, Miss Sarah-Jane, you're obviously on the Nice list, then. If you were on the Naughty List, then I would have already known your name. (whispering) I only actually know the names of the children on the Naughty List, so good for you!
Sarah-Jane's eyes opened really wide and her jaw fell to the floor!
Her Grandmother with anxious disappointment: I think I'm on the Naughty List.

Me: Now, Sarah-Jane, I'm going to share with you a secret. This time of year I like to make some public appearances. You know, some big parades, a few places where I can meet some of the children and that sort of thing. But, in order for me to do that, I have to go out in disguise. Sometimes, though, I'm spotted and someone sees through my disguise. This tells me that that someone is very special. You see, in order to see through my disguise a person has to be, 1 on the Nice List and 2, they have to have the heart of a True Believer. And I think you might have seen through my disguise, didn't you?
Sarah-Jane nodded her head yes.
Me: I thought so. 
I gave her what has become my signature sign with folks when they realize I'm Santa: With a wink and a smile I brushed my right nostril with the pad of my right index finger, placed my right index finger over my pursed lips and said, "shhh."

As I stood up I could see that the Grandmother was smiling ear-to-ear and had tears in her eyes.

Her Grandmother: Thank you, Santa! Thank you so much for this!
Me: You're very welcome. And don't worry, you're not on the Naughty List, otherwise I'd have known your name, too. Merry Christmas.

I walked to the back of the store, grabbed my Red Bulls and a beef jerky and took my place in line. As they were leaving the grandmother said to the little girl, "You're going have to tell your sister you saw Santa! Wait 'till she hears this!" As I was chuckling at what I had just heard, Sarah-Jane stopped in the doorway, turned to me said, "Goodbye!" So I said, "Goodbye, sweetheart, and Merry Christmas!" 

When I got to the counter, the woman behind the counter and I had a brief conversation.
Clerk: When she walked into the store she shouted "Santa Claus is in the parking lot!" And I knew exactly the customer she was talking about. So I looked out the window and said, "yep, that's him!"
Me: Thank you for that. And Merry Christmas!

Sadly, my last Mingle with Kringle event was today, but the day was not without its magical moments. One of which was a little girl, April, who was all smiles sitting my lap for pictures. Then we talked about her wish list and she was all smiles for that. Chris, the cameraman, was having some technical difficulties which afforded me a little extra time with some of the kids. So I asked April if she had been a good girl and she was surprisingly honest...

Me: So, April have you been a good girl?
April softly: no...
Me a little surprised: Really? What have you done?
April, looking down, softly: I lied to everyone and I'm grounded for it.
Me: Mm-hmm. That bit of naughtiness.
April: yeah...
Me: Well, was there anything else?
I was able to steal a glance at her parents who were clearly surprised that she told me about the lie, but surreptitiously indicated that there was nothing else.
April: no...
Me: Okay. I didn't think so, but you were so honest and upfront about that lie that I figured I would just double check. So just that lie, then, that you're grounded for, right?
April: yeah...
Me: Okay...well, I know you're sorry for it, right?
April: yeah...
Me: And you're going to try to never do that again and try to always tell the truth, right? Because to be a big girl and a good grown up someday, you have to be honest and always tell the truth, even if it's bad, you still gotta tell the truth. And I know that from now on you're always going to do your absolute best to tell the truth, right?
April: Yes.
Me: Okay, then! No need to be sad, April! You're still on the good list...you knew that, right?!? 
April getting excited again: Really?!?
Me: Of course you are, sweetheart! Look, because of that lie you told, you have learned a very valuable lesson that I know you won't forget. You've learned that actions have consequences. In other words, you've learned that when you do something wrong, you'll get punished for it and if it's something really wrong, you'll get really punished for it! You see, sometimes mommies and daddies have to punish kids so that they learn a lesson like you did. But here's the thing, April, I know that you learned the lesson and that you're sorry for lying and that you so badly want to never do it again because you were honest with me when I asked you if you'd been good. And I know that even though you were grounded for it, your mommy and daddy still love you and they forgive you because they brought you here to see me today. And I know that it's time for you to stop being sad about it and forgive yourself for it. Do you know what I mean by forgive yourself for it, April?
April shook her head no.
Me: Well, I mean that when you start feeling really bad about it, like you did when I asked you if you'd been a good girl, I want you try and remember to take a deep breath and let it out. Then I want you to tell yourself that it's okay to feel a little bad because you did something wrong and feeling a little bad is okay because that's just recognizing that you did something wrong. But when I say a little bad, I mean a tiny teensy-weensy bit! And finally, I want you to be nice to yourself and love yourself as much as mommy and daddy do. Now, I know that you don't understand that last part and that you're wondering how you be nice to yourself and love yourself like mommy and daddy do. And that's okay, because I want you to ask your mommy and daddy to help you with that part. Okay? Think you can do that?
April: Yeah!
​Me: Good! I knew you could! 

So yesterday I told y'all about Paulina and Poppy and how Paulina got really down on herself when she made a mistake, so I explained to her that mistakes happen all the time and that nobody's perfect. Well, as I mentioned in that post, the girls had two older brothers, Wrangler and Elwood, both aged 16. The notes from their mother read "I'm sure you can imagine their excitement about getting their picture taken with Santa :) Lucky for me, they're good sports."

Clearly I had a couple of non-believers. I thought that I would have a chat with them about that and see if I couldn't help them gain a little perspective. So, after talking to Paulina (you can see that story in yesterday's blog post) I asked her and her sister if they would like a candy cane, and after they emphatically said "yes," I told them to go ahead and get a candy cane and let me talk to their brothers for a second. And with that they hopped down and I turned to the boys.

Me: I want to thank you two fellas for being such good sports and not mucking this up for your sisters. It's really great that you did this to let them continue to believing in the magic of Santa.

Boys: You're welcome, Sir.
Me: But I gotta say that I'm a little hurt that you two don't believe I exist. 
Boys chuckle a little.
Me: I mean, I know that you exist because unless I'm having some kind of messed up hallucinogenic event, you're standing right in front of me and we're talking. And by that logic you know that I exist because I'm sitting right here talking to you and getting your sisters all hopped up on sugar!
Boys giggle a bit.
Me: But if you have any doubts as to the magic of Santa, and I feel like you do, I want you two to do something. I want you to find someone either in your neighborhood, or your church, or your community, or school or wherever. Doesn't matter. Just find someone who needs something that you can provide. Could be helping a crotchety old neighbor with something, or maybe spending time getting to know a kid at school who doesn't have any friends, or maybe you come across someone who needs food or a coat or something. Doesn't have to be anything big or even cost any money for that matter. Just find someone with an actual need that you are able to provide. Then, I want you to make sure that they get whatever it is that helps fill that need; and here's the important part: do your best to make sure that they never find out it came from you! Now, you do that and then come back and tell me Santa's magic ain't real! Think you two young men can handle that?
Boys: Yes, Sir!
Me: Alright then. Go get yourselves a candy cane and have a merry Christmas.

As they got their candy canes, went back to their family, and all walked away, I heard their father ask them what I had said. Not two seconds later I saw their father come back around the corner and say, "Thank you. I mean it. Thank you." To which I replied, "It is sincerely my pleasure, Sir."

A family with four children came to Mingle With Kringle. Two girls, Paulina, 8, and Poppy, 9, and their two older brothers (they get a post of their own!). The notes read "if Santa could explain to Paulina that it's okay to make mistakes that would be immensely helpful." No problem! So after the posed pictures were taken I started talking to the children, as I do. I asked them each what they wanted for Christmas and we talked a bit about those things. Then I turned my attention to Paulina...

Me: Now, Paulina...Your elf tells me that you really don't like mistakes.
Poppy: NO! SHE HATES THEM!
Me: And you really don't deal with mistakes very well, do you?
Poppy: NO! SHE GETS REALLY MAD AT HERSELF!
Paulina quietly: no.
Me: I get that. Nobody really likes mistakes. But you know what?
Paulina: what?
Me: EVERYBODY makes mistakes. Even ME!
Paulina: really?
Me: Oh yeah! In fact, I'm going to tell you a story about a mistake that I made very, very recently. You see, my friend Gary over there has only ever asked me for one thing for Christmas. A nice, bright white beard. You can imagine how dirty my beard gets riding around in a sleigh with no roof on it all the time, flying through the sky, and gliding through the woods; not to mention working in the toy shop! You can imagine that it gets filthy, right?
Paulina: Yeah! I bet it gets filled with dirt and bugs and stuff!
Me: Oh yes! It does! Well, like I said, my friend Gary always just asks that I have a nice, clean white beard for the pictures he takes because it's very important to him and he really, really, likes to take really, really nice pictures for the mommies and daddies. Well, this year I decided to try something really special. You see, I decided that I wanted to try and add some magic sparkle to my beard.
Paulina: That would be COOL!
Me: I thought so! I mean, how much fun would it would be to have a beard with magic sparkle, right!?!
Poppy and Paulina giggling: YEAH!
Me: Well, to get my beard nice and white for Gary, I have to use some special magic potions. So, when I was getting my beard clean, and nice and bright white, I mixed up a batch of special magic potion. BUT, when I went to put in the magic sparkle, guess what happened!
Paulina giggling: WHAT?!?
Me: I grabbed the wrong ingredient! One of the elves tried to tell me that I didn't need that extra ingredient I was grabbing, but I didn't listen. And you know what happened?
Paulina shook her head "no."
Me: I turned my beard PURPLE!
Paulina just giggled some more!
Me: So then I had to mix up ANOTHER batch of magic potion to get rid of the magically purple. Only this time, I made the potion too strong! A bunch of elves told me to be careful, but I didn't listen. You notice that my beard is a little shorter than it was last year, right?
Paulina: Yeah!
Me: Well, like I said, I had to mix up a strong batch of potion to get rid of the magically purple beard and a bunch of elves told me to be careful, and went that potion went kablooey in my face, I ended up burning off half my beard!
Paulina: You should listen to the elves more!
Me: Yeah, that's same thing Mrs. Claus said and it's probably true! But here's the thing Paulina, I made a mistake. Sure, I was a bit upset about it at first. But then instead of getting mad at myself and staying mad at myself, I told my myself to think about why I made that mistake and also think about how I made that mistake. Then I after thinking about it for a while, I realized that now I knew how to not make that same mistake again! Then, I was able to go on with the rest of my day like nothing was wrong. So, I want you try and do something for me, okay?
Paulina: Okay!
Me: Next time you make a mistake and you get mad at yourself, I want you to try and say to yourself, "it's okay, and we'll get over this." And then I want you to just think about why and how you made that mistake. It's okay if you don't figure it all out right away, that's part of the learning process, so just try your best. And if you can't figure it out, I want you to go talk to your mommy and daddy or your teacher or even your big brother and see if one of them can help you learn to not make the same mistake again so you can just move on with the rest of your day. And if you make that same mistake again, it's okay because sometimes that's part of the learning process. Think you can do that for me?
Paulina: Okay, Santa, I'll try! I'll try real hard!
Me: I know you will, Sweetheart, and the more you try the better you'll get at it.
Paulina: OKAY, SANTA! I'll try really, really hard, then!
Me: That's all anyone can ask!

Her parents seemed very pleased, as they thanked me profusely. But then I had to talk to their brothers...but that's another blog post!

I am scheduled a few days at an event called Mingle with Kringle, where families get to have a 10 minute private Santa experience/photo shoot. This creates too many memories to really blog them all, but there are always a few that stand out...this is one of them!

The notes I had on one little girl who was aged 9 said that her parents would like Santa to remind her to be be kind to her classmates as she had written some mean things about them in a writing. So, she and her family came in and we had the usual photos and such. She was sitting next to me, so after the photographer did his thing, I had the opportunity to just sit and talk with her.

I asked her how her elf, Holly, was and she was shocked that I knew the elf's name, which led to a bigger conversation...

Me: Of course I know Holly's name! Her reports on you are mostly good and I am very pleased to hear them...but there is one thing we need to talk about. Holly tells me that you wrote some mean things about your classmates in your writing assignment. Wanna tell me why you wrote those mean things?

Her mom chimed in with "see, I told you Santa would find out!" which caused me to throw a look at her because I don't like it when parents try to use the experience against the child. It just makes it more difficult for me to work the Santa magic.

Me: How 'bout it, you wanna tell me why?

Her looking down and very quietly: I'm sorry Santa.

Me: I know, sweetheart. It's okay...this time. (she was clearly relieved) But here's the thing: it's okay to get frustrated with your classmates sometimes or even get down right mad at them. It's okay, it's normal, and it WON'T get you on the naughty list no matter what anyone says. BUT, you don't get to be mean to your classmates and no more writing mean things about them. Okay?

Her: Okay, Santa!

Me: When you're upset or angry with your classmates or even your teachers I want you to try your best to be kind to them, anyway, like you're not upset at all. Then I want you to tell your mommy and daddy all about what happened and how it made you feel and let them tell you how best to handle that in future. YOU ARE A GOOD GIRL, we just want you to be a little kinder to others when they upset you. Okay? You think you can do that for me?

Her: YES, SANTA! I promise I'll be good!

​Last night my wife, my sister, and my father came to see Santa at the Festival where I am booked and we got to get some truly great photos...but I've got to be honest, the real magic of the night came at the end of the night with the last family that I saw. They were a family of five.  Two boys ages 11 and 9 and a little girl, Allie, aged 7.

While her brothers just hopped up on my lap for the photos and couldn't wait to tell me what they wanted for Christmas, Allie stayed at her mother's side too scared to even stand next to Santa's throne, let alone sit on Santa's lap or even next to me for that matter.

Gary got the photos of me and her brothers and I heard what they wanted for Christmas and we chatted a bit about the items on their wish lists, but once the boys told me what they wanted, I started trying to listen more to Allie and her mother's conversation than the boys' descriptions of the toys they wanted; without letting them know I was paying closer attention to their sister, of course. And so, when her mom said, "don't you want to tell Santa what you want for Christmas?" Allie replied with a soft-spoken and timid "I already sent him my Christmas list."  Fortunately, I know what most little girls want for Christmas this year and, so, at that point when Allie said that she had already sent in her list, inferring that I should then already know what she wants for Christmas, well...magic happened.

She was standing with her mother just at the top of the stairs to the stage, about 8 to 10 feet away from me and I turned to her and said, "Allie, you sent me your Christmas list, right?" She nodded. So I asked her, "and on that list you asked me to bring you some LOL dolls?"  Her eyes got big and she nodded.  "And some Barbies?" She said softly, "yes." And then I added, "OH! And of course, there's the LOL dollhouse, too, right?" At this point she wasn't just wide-eyed, I swear that I could see a little twinkle in her eye as I turned back to her brothers who were still sitting on my lap.

She turned to her mother and asked if I was the real Santa, so I turned back to her and said, "Well Allie, you're the real you aren't you?" To which she said, "yes." So I said, "then doesn't it make sense that I'm the real me?" She said, "yes" and I could tell that she was getting past her fear and anxiety and getting a little excited. 

And that's when the real magic happened...

Allie: "um...Santa?"
Me: "Yes, Allie?"
Allie: "um...was that really you in the parade?"
Me with a big grin: "Which parade, Allie? There's lots of 'em ya'know!" 
Allie: "the big one with the balloons and Alabama led you in?"
Me: "You mean the University of Alabama marching band? THE Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade?" 
Allie nodding: "yes"
Me, gently motioning for her to come closer: "Come here, Allie...closer, it's okay..."
Me whispering: "Tell me what you think, Allie."
Allie whispering: "I think it really was you."
With that I brushed the side of my right nostril with the tip of my right index finger (how Santa activates his magic in "The Christmas Chronicles" movies), gave her a wink and finished by pursing my lips and placing my index finger over them softly telling her "shhhh..."

At that she lit up like a Christmas tree and this shy, timid, uncertain child was a true believer!
​
I truly wish more people could experience the excitement and magic of Christmas the way a child does because that is something truly special.  To be able to witness it myself and even play a small part in helping to create some Christmas magic for a child is truly a cherished gift bestowed upon me

Tonight was my first appearance on the main stage inside Santa’s Village at the James Island County Park Holiday Festival of Lights. Overall it was a magical night. I don’t know how many children and families got their pictures taken with me tonight, and some of tonight went by so fast that it was a blur; but there were other moments that I will cherish for many years to come. So many children came on to the stage and rushed to give me a hug. Some children started off too shy to talk only to give me a big hug before leaving. 

Three children (all siblings) brought me their Christmas lists. The two girls handed me their lists, which appeared to be written on scrap paper, while their brother had three pages torn out of a notebook. I will keep these lists and remember the experience fondly. 

For one night I got to step out of “the real world” and enter one where magic really does exist. A world where children can ask for anything they want - like the little girl who said all she wanted was for people to nice to each other and for people to love one another; and they can  ask Santa those burning questions - like where’s Rudolph! A world where Santa may be the biggest attraction, but the children are the real celebrities. A world where the ugliness of “the real world” simply doesn’t exist. It’s a world where Christopher ceases to exist in what feels like an instant as he is transformed into Santa Clause. It’s a world where no kid is too big or too small.  It’s a world that I can’t wait to go back to!

Anyone who knows me knows that I have passion for empowering abused children and helping kids, in general.  Last month I was offered the opportunity to become a professional paid Santa. Since accepting that offer I have bleached my hair and beard (side note: I lost about 50% of my beard in the process and about half the length of my hair! 😞), I have officially become a Real Bearded Santa (I’m a member of both FORBS and IBRBS), and I’m listed in a couple of databases for anyone looking to hire a professional Santa. 
 
Recently I was asked why I love being Santa so much and another friend told me that his daughter still believed, and although he didn’t think she would, he hoped that she wouldn’t recognize me. I thought I would share what I told him because it helps explain why I love being Santa so much:
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“I can honestly say that when I don the suit and become Santa, something truly magical happens. I get to forget about all of the ugliness in the world and not let it touch me; my heart truly fills with joy, especially when I get to interact with the kids and see their smiles and their happiness and excitement. I get to help create a positive experience and memory for kids that hopefully lasts a lifetime. But even if it's just for that day or moment it really just fills me with so much joy that people who've known me for years sometimes have to do a double take to recognize me!”