Becoming Santa

Whatever Suits You

Charles W. Howard, the founder of the CWH Santa School famously quoted: 

“They err who think Santa Claus enters through the chimney. He enters through the heart.” 

The most important part of being Santa is showing love, kindness, and the Christmas Spirit.  

And yet, without the iconic Santa beard and suit, it's hard to recognize Santa as Santa.  

Clothes Make The Man ... and Woman

A search on for "Santa Suit" on Amazon.com yields dozens of offerings including this less than $100 Potalay Men's Deluxe Santa Suit.  Dig a little deeper into the photos and reviews and you quickly get the feeling that even Home Alone's Kevin McCallister wouldn't be fooled.  We decided to skip this step despite the alluring 2-day Prime delivery time.  

Several vendors were on hand to offer Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus suits during the 2024 Santa School including Santa & Co and Santa's Tailor.  While both had compelling products, we ended up opting for the latter since they had matching options for both Santa and Mrs. Claus.  The price tag and delivery time were a bit daunting, but we gotta look good, right?  Today's Kevin and Megan McCallister can spot a fake a mile away.

In The Meantime

Custom work takes time, so while we believe at least part of the Santa's Tailor order will arrive by the 2024 Christmas season, we needed to start looking around for other options.  A bit of advice we got from many Santas at the CWH Santa School was to have more than one suit.  All it takes is one spill, incontinent child, or wardrobe malfunction and a single suit might need to be dry-cleaned before being worn again.  

Fortunately we found a decent used suit on Facebook Marketplace that could be obtained instantly and inexpensively.  It did need a bit of attention in terms of airing out and alterations.  The suit had apparently been stored in a basement closet, but some time in the fresh air relinquished the mothball aroma.  

Santa Karl also had to make a few adjustments and added buttons for a proper buttoned pair of suspenders.  Clip on suspenders are asking for an embarrassing pant drop at just the wrong time.  

We also met another local tailor at Rooftop Landings Reindeer Farm that was able to meet with us to show us samples and take measurements.  We are hopeful that this will give Mrs. Claus access to an outfit and Santa another option by the Christmas season.

Trial Run

The Santa look isn't complete without a collection of accessories like proper boots (local motorcycle shop) with fur toppers (Amazon), a real 4" leather Santa belt with an ornamented buckle (Santa's Clauset), as well as round spectacles and brass jingle bells (Bronner's).  

Once the final suit adjustments were complete, Mrs. Claus took a few snapshots around the house as I'm brushing up for story time.  

Since Muskegon was having their Trunk or Treat event downtown, I decided to "go live" and walk around the downtown.  I carried a "making a list" clipboard and handed out some "I Met Santa" cards I had printed. 

The response was absolutely amazing!  Even in the midst of a Halloween event, so many little darlings wanted to chat and even get a hug from Santa.  I told them to keep being nice and I would see them at Christmas.  

Now I'm even more excited about the upcoming Christmas Season!  

Hope to hear from you soon!  Book your Santa visit by emailing us.

Electric Santa Origins

 

"Kris Kringle!"

Walking down the street in my college years, someone rolled down their car window and yelled out "Kris Kringle" to me.  Having grown up in Germany, I knew nothing of the Rankin-Bass Christmas specials that American kids in the 70s grew up with.  As such, this encounter puzzled me for years, until...

Epiphany

Fast forward to my adult life with an American-born wife and our growing family of two little kids:   When "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" came on and I saw the Kris Kringle character as a young man, I instantly understood.  With strawberry blond hair and a red beard, I could see the resemblance.

Giving Back

I retired early from my industrial career and have been looking to give back to the community in which I live.  Through my Zero E-Michigan YouTube channel and blog, I help those who want to get started with electric vehicles.  Fun fact:  While driving my bright red Tesla in Parkville, Missouri, a person dressed as Santa Claus yelled out "Nice sleigh, sir!"  

While that is still an active endeavor, we also decided to share our love for Christmas joy by attending...

Santa School

I had heard about the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School right across the state in Midland, Michigan, so I proposed to my wife that we both attend as Santa and Mrs. Claus students.  

As of October 12, 2024, we are now official graduates!  While we gear up with properly tailored Santa and Mrs. Claus clothing, here's a quick snapshot from the Rooftop Landing Reindeer Farm.  

Hope to hear from you soon!  Book your Santa visit by emailing us.