JungleJimBoston

Oh yes, definitely.

1 - just go ahead and assume they will believe you are the real Santa. Even if you're worried they will recognize you, just play Santa the best way you see fit.

2 - The big thing that everybody really wants is a really nice photo. As long as they are comfortable sitting on your lap they can do that, but certain disabled young adult populations that I've worked with, tactile sensations are not their thing. So have a chair next to Santa Claus so you can give them the option of sitting on your lap or next to you. Also, a fun thing to do that i can do with older disabled adults is you can stand up, link arms and pose back to back - it's a bit different, it's fun, and it can make them feel more comfortable.

3 - If they are going to have a lot of questions for you as Santa Claus, I took improv classes years ago and the number one rule is "yes and". So if they ask you about the reindeer, share your best information, if they ask you about cookies, say "yes, and I like Oatmeal Raisin." A lot of being a good Santa is listening. You don't always have to be talking to. And you are probably going to do a lot of individual photos and meeting, but I think it's fun to do a group photo - not a lot of people think to do that but it's a nice thing for you to be able to remember.

4 - Enjoy it and relax!

There are so many to choose from! The first thing that comes to mind is I had a very drunk older woman blatantly ask me to make a special visit to her house that night. I stayed in character and said "oh! that would make Mrs. Claus jealous" so as to play it off nicely and not hurt anyone's feelings, but when she was very insistent, I always kept another person between me and her. She was a bit aggressive. There's another story about me getting groped on a separate occasion. It was one of my most miserable Santa Claus occasions ever. It was a group of older women and one of them, who was very very nice, she's a regular client of mine, she had hired me to come in and do a Santa appearance as a gag for her and her friends. By the time I got there on a Thursday night, they were all feeling the effects of a couple of bottles of red wine, and this one woman who could barely stand wanted to take a picture we me. She sits on my lap slurring inappropriate comments (which is fine, it's not the first time I've dealt with that) and then all of a sudden her hand was reaching down towards my crotch area. I grabbed her by the wrist to make sure nothing went farther, and fortunately my fat suit was blocking her, but then she got REALLY aggressive. I stood up, she fell because she could not keep her balance, and now she's angry and yelling at me while her friends cackle and cheer her on. So I go around the table to get away from her (even at this point, I don't want to make anyone feel bad), and she is crawling / stumbling towards me saying things like "You're not the real Santa!" I managed to avoid her the rest of the visit until the end when they wanted to take a group photo, and someone suggested to her that she sit on my lap, AGAIN, and goes for the same crotchgrab (oh and by the way, her husband is there the entire time) - at this point I grab her wrist, I imagine a little bit painfully, but I wasn't going to let her touch me inappropriately, and once the group photo was over, I stood up, half-caught her so she wouldn't fall again, and then went to my client and said "now would be a good time for me to go." This was at an apartment building with an elevator that came right up to the floor, so as I'm waiting for the elevator, same drunk lady came around the corner again swearing at me... I get home and tell my wife who was none too thrilled about it.

My pleasure Jack! Glad you're enjoying it.

Most professional Santas at some point in their career handle a difficult requests and tough interactions. In terms of the request, I'll tell you a story about the toughest request I've ever gotten:

“Santa, all I want for Christmas is Mommy and Daddy to come back from heaven.” This was a very polite 4-year old girl. I saw the woman she was with (her aunt's) eyes go wide as these words came out of the little girl’s mouth. I’ve gotten similar requests before, usually with a favorite pet or grandparent. Twice before I’ve been asked to bring a parent back. Never before have I gotten a request for both parents. The little girl, let’s call her Julia, asked very matter-of-factly. In her mind, Santa’s job was to bring her things and all she wanted was her Mommy & Daddy back. My heart just sank.

I told her that while Santa Claus has the power to bring many things, including love and joy, there is only so much that even I could do. I asked her to remember how special Mommy & Daddy were, how they were looking down on her from heaven right now, and it seemed that she had a lot of loving people in her life, and that’s a very good thing.

I found out later from the aunt her parents had been killed in a car crash the previous August. The little girl didn't talk about it too much, which is why her aunt was so surprised when she asked me. I was fine in the moment, but it was upsetting to me afterwards. I'm glad I handled the situation well, but it was one of the more impacting moments I've had in the red suit.

Usually 1 per visit. Because I have a designer beard, the guy who helped me put my beards together, Santa Tom from Weymouth, Mass (the foremost expert on Santa designer beards in the country) - my beards are strapped in on 3 places so that when a kid tugs on it, it does not go anywhere. And that ends up really helping to sell the experience.

Babies under the age of 2 years have a nice little grip too. So it has to be able to last!

That's a great question jlingwen! I am actually a full-time, professional family entertainer. People often get confused when they asked me what I do for a living and I tell them I'm a professional Santa Claus.

I always think of that episode of "King of the Hill" where Bill plays Santa Claus, and it's a really special time for him. Then he keeps the suit on into March, he still paying for the elf and it's gotten really awkward.

A lot of people don't know what I mean by family entertainer, so to explain, I do performances in libraries, schools and at birthday parties.

Oh, and I only do Santa Claus in the month of December. Here's why: I once walked into a birthday party a few days before Christmas as my character, Jungle Jim, and let out a big "Ho ho ho!" much to the surprise of the children and the parents.