Ever thought of working as a professional Santa?
Donning a red suit and white beard to become Santa can be more than just a job. Earning an income is not the only result.
Countless Santas over the years have commented that it is an experience that has taught them a lot. Sal Lizard, one of the best known American Santa’s noted that :
‘Christmas Magic is all around us: We don’t always see it, but it is there, shaping and enriching our lives.
Sometimes you need to go that extra mile: Santa Claus is the one person who can’t even use a blizzard as an excuse not to honour his commitments.
Even a small child can make a difference. Meeting children has shown that you don’t need to be a grown up to make an impact on the world around you.
Being Santa is fun
Working with happy children, and seeing that what you are doing is bringing happiness does help create a feel good atmosphere. It is a happy environment for everyone. All those Ho Ho Ho’s are an expression of laughter and good cheer. Laughter has long been acknowledged as one of the best medicines around, it is quite simply good for you. The traditional saying that “if you laugh, the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone’. Simply laughing makes people feel happy as it encourages the right endorphins in your body.
Laughing and enjoying your job helps your own health and well being as does being positive about life. Santa always has to be positive. Being positive in attitude and behaviour is much better than adopting negative attitudes.
It also offers the opportunity to stress good behaviour. After all Santa only brings presents to children who have behaved, bad behaviour is frowned upon. This is a feature of Santa’s work that has existed for centuries. In seventeenth century Dutch paintings for example, there are scenes of families celebrating at Christmas showing good children holding presents – while someone who has been naughty has just received a piece of coal in his shoe.
There are obvious financial benefits. For about two months, from end October to 24 December; working as a Santa offer almost continuous employment. You are guaranteed to find work. Good Santa’s can be booked up weeks and months in advance. Santa’s are in constant demand. Quite apart from long term bookings in shopping malls and garden centres, Santa’s are sought by organisers of special festive events, promotions people, Steam train companies, charities as well as parties and even visits to individual families. Santa is a very busy person.
Above all, becoming Santa offers an opportunity to regain the magic of Christmas, and reawakens the childhood sense of wonder. He is a reminder of that hope is always present. Everything is possible. Even in the depth of winter, or when things seem blackest, hope exists and that it is important to keep reaching for a brighter tomorrow. It is also a reminder that in Santa’s eyes everyone is worthy of love and good tidings. There are no distinctions as to colour, income, or belief.
As adults, it is all too easy to become cynical and sceptical. Being Santa encourages a more positive attitude, where hope is always present and you can see the good things in life.
