Santa secrets

EAST COUNTY — A Santa sits donning a red velvet suit, matching hat and white gloves at a table inside MacAllisters Grill and Tavern, on Lakewood Ranch Main Street.

At Christmastime, it’s not hard to imagine finding him here, although it’s not in his customary throne-like chair.
But three Santas sitting elbow to elbow?
“We never meet like this,” says Santa Jeffry, an East County resident who heads up Santas in Sarasota, a group of about 10 background-checked, insured Santas who work events in Sarasota, Manatee and surrounding counties. “It’s too dangerous. Children might see.”
But should a child pass by and wonder how there could possibly be more than one Santa in sight? Santa Jeffry says he’d treat it as if they were attending a Santa Claus convention: there’s one Santa here and the rest are helpers.
“It’s up to you to figure out which one is the real Santa,” he says.
Even so, the Santas, who go by their first names to keep the mystery of Santa alive, take great care to avoid bumping into another. All three of these Santas — Santa Jeffry, Santa Doug and Santa Dennis — avoid trips to the mall this time of year, or any venue or event at which they know a Santa will be present. It doesn’t matter if they are in uniform or not.
Children see their long white beards (real, of course), sparkling eyes and rounded bellies and they are enthralled.
“The spirit of Santa lives,” Santa Jeffry says, delving into the history of Santa Claus. “We all consider this a ministry.”
To that end, the Santas remain committed to spreading cheer and guarding Santa’s image. There’s even an oath, written by a Santa in Chicago (see sidebar).
“I was one of the original signers of the oath, and most of our Santas have signed it,” Santa Jeffry says. “We take it very seriously.”
Each Santa has his own story for becoming Santa.
Santa Jeffry, who this year was the Santa at Lakewood Ranch Cinemas, Holidays Around the Ranch and at Meals on Wheels’ Community Shoebox Reception, has always loved Santa. But Jeffry didn’t become one until 2009, when he sported a goatee and Santa hat and people began asking to have their photo taken with him. He vowed to learn all he could about being Santa and now works as a truck driver specifically so he can take a month off between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Santa Dennis decided to become a Santa after moving to Florida two years ago and growing out his naturally white beard. The first Santa he connected with works at Home Depot.
And Santa Doug gradually turned from his life as a biker and former executive chef to living his role as Santa year-round, first portraying Santa at apartment complexes his wife managed. He gave up drinking and smoking and other bad habits as the years went on, and now wears red all year.

“It’s more than putting on a red suit; I became Santa inside,” Santa Doug says. “You take on that character.”

“It changed my moral compass,” he says. “It made me look at people differently. It was little by little. I’m Santa. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. Everybody is watching. I would hate to disappoint the children.”

The Santas enjoy sharing tips, as well as best practices when dealing with children.

Santa Jeffry heads up a Santa group on Facebook that now connects more than 1,700 Santas. There’s one Santa each in Turkey and in Egypt and plenty of them in Brazil.

“They’re all over,” Santa Jeffry says. “We share information on being Santa — where to get outfits, where to get belts, how to do boots and beards.”

These Santas all have business cards and plenty of Santa paraphernalia, such as Santa credit cards, driver’s licenses and other accessories — most of which they purchased from other Santas — they can use as props or as proof of identification for children.

Santas Jeffry and Doug say they’re envious of Santa Dennis’ naturally white beard, which looks soft and fluffy compared with their more wiry, real beards. They both have to bleach theirs, which naturally are salt-and-pepper in color. If they bleach too often, their beards will break. If they don’t bleach enough, their beards will have a yellowish hue. It’s a delicate balance, Santa Jeffry says.

But by now, it’s just became a part of daily life. These Santas wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I saw a little girl this week — I’ve never seen a child this happy,” Santa Dennis says. “She ran and flew with her arms around my neck. I told her she was on the top of my nice list and she was so excited. It feels so good to know you can put something like that into the life of a child.”

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

The Santa Claus Oath
“I will seek knowledge to be well versed in the mysteries of bringing Christmas cheer and goodwill to all the people that I encounter in my journey and travels. I shall be dedicated to hearing the secret dreams of both children and adults. I understand that the true and only gift I can give, as Santa, is myself. I acknowledge that some of the requests I will hear will be difficult and sad. I know in these difficulties there lies an opportunity to bring a spirit of warmth, understanding and compassion. I know the ‘real reason for the season’ and know that I am blessed to be able to be part of it. I realize that I belong to a brotherhood and will be supportive, honest and show fellowship to my peers. I promise to use ‘my’ powers to create happiness, spread love and make fantasies come to life in the true and sincere tradition of the Santa Claus Legend. I pledge myself to these principles as a descendant of St. Nicholas, the gift giver of Myra.”

ASK SANTA
Q: What’s my name?
A: “You forgot your name already?” — Santa Doug

Q: How old are you?
A: “I’m 837 years old at my last count.” — Santa Doug

Q: Where are your reindeer?
A: “I always tell them they are at the airport.” — Santa Jeffry
A: “I tell them they are at the North Pole and they only fly on Christmas Eve.” — Santa Doug

Q: Is your beard real?
A: “Pull on it.” — Santa Doug

KNOW YOUR STUFF
Santas have to make sure they are up to date on the most popular toys, so when children ask, they are informed.

For example, this year little girls want castles from the hit film “Frozen.”

“But there’s two ‘Frozen’ castles — large and small,” Santa Doug says. “You need to know which one.”