Marketing

It is the end of July, so that makes it the start of Marketing Season! We have to get the word out in our new home area so we can get more gigs up here in North East PA.

We have plenty of work available back in Princeton. Our regular customers have already started calling to book for the 2008 Holiday Season, but we want to establish ourselves up here. That means new business cards and postcards (the postcards work best for local super markets and other stores), contacting local party planners, and taking advantage of every opportunity to get our name out there. My Santa is going on the radio for a 'Christmas in July' gig so he can promote himself. The good thing about this is no suit - and so we do not have to worry about how hot it is!

I try to get a new picture each year, so anyone we gave a card to last year remembers him, and yet it is new! Marketing! We also set up a new web site: visitsfromsanta.spaces.live.com - anything to get the face out there. Marketing! And, of course, since he has the white beard and hair, people see him as Santa all year anyway.

Illness

Santa is supposed to be a mythical type of person, like Mary Poppins, fairies and trolls. Santa is not supposed to get sick, right? Well, after small children sneeze and cough and other things on your mythical persona, illness can occur. The problem is the appointments that you have to keep when you feel like just going back to bed to rest.

My Professional Santa became very ill around Christmas one year and it was scary. The illness was not communicable to the children, thank goodness, but it meant that his resistance to infection was way down. So here is where Ms Claus has to become very involved and help with the scheduling and driving, as Santa was very worn and tired. One gig per day, not the usual 4 to 5 per weekday, up to 8 on weekend days. Eat healthy, drink plenty of water, no chills or over-heating, no dancing - and try not to hold everybody on your lap! But, even with planning and caution, sometimes a bug will get you and that year, it hit my PS hard. We had to cancel a couple of gigs. Except for one family where the woman threatened to sue my PS and yelled and screamed at him on the phone when he explained he was sick - she did not care! I was ready to go over there and talk about poor parenting (bring the illness into the house) and lack of Christmas spirit, but my PS said that he would do the best he could. So we drove over there, to a brand new huge house (these people had real money) and I sat outside while my PS did the gig. He made sure that none of the children sat on his lap, he had the children do most of the singing, and he wished everyone a very Merry Holiday and came out to meet me outside. The father walked my PS out, apologized and doubled My PS's normal fee. Still, it was a very scary Christmas for me and I thank God we lived through it to perform bigger and better the next year!

Incidents and Accidents

The Professional Santa expects some aspect to go wrong sometimes; the best that can be done is to prepare, and then work up contingencies. Pulling on beard = expected, child sneezing on you = expected, child has 'accident' of one form or another = expected. But some things can be totally out of left field and you have to react quickly.

Best example that we have is the time my PS was touring the shops of a town gig when a guy comes up and says something like "Santa, I got the stuff (okay, another word for 'stuff')." At this point the guy opens his coat and shows my PS a bunch of, presumably stolen, jewelry, watches, etc. But my PS was cool and saw the local policeman walking by, so my PS puts his arm around the guy's shoulder and guides him over to the police officer, telling the officer that he may wish to 'discuss' an important matter with this guy. Turned out the guy had arranged to 'fence the goods ' with a Santa in another town. Shame on that other Santa! Oh, and what a stupid crook!

Another time while working at a mall, which my PS avoids now if he can, a little boy, about 3 years old, saw Santa in the holiday display on the lower level, 30 feet below in what is normally the fountain area. The boy was so excited, he started to climb over the glass railing from his stroller and was close to the top of the railing when my PS saw him. His mother was distracted, all this took place in a matter of moments, but the possibility for disaster was very real. My PS excused himself from the little girl on his lap, ran to the middle where the escalators were and yelled up in a big, booming Santa voice "Get down from there or Santa will not come to your house for Christmas." He never dropped character, and he knew he would never be able to get to the child in time, nor would anyone else unless they saw the boy at that moment. The boy did get down, the mother scooped him up and thanked my PS profusely. My PS then finished with the child who he had put down, asked for time to 'feed the reindeer' and went for a break to stop shaking - this had really scared him!

Same gig at the mall, another day during the week, a little girl was playing in the Santa area. Everyone thought she was waiting for her mom to catch up, but after 30 minutes, Santa asked her where her parents were. The little girl replied that 'Mommy told her to wait here' - in effect, using the Santa people as an unpaid baby-sitter! When 'Mommy' showed up, my PS told her that she cannot do that, that liability issues could be involved, not to mention abandonment and that the next time it happened, the state social services would have to be called. Turned out that she had done this before, with the other Santa's, but none of the others had really noticed. In addition, she was having an afternoon affair with one of the employees in one of the mall stores. Wow!

All we can say is, be prepared!

End of Season

The last few days before Christmas are very hectic for the Professional Santa. It appears everyone wants a good PS at their party as close to the actual holiday as possible. This year with Christmas day on a Tuesday many people has a long weekend, so this year was very busy for us.

In addition, my PS recorded a radio commercial for his regular - off-holiday job at a restaurant here in the Poconos. They tried out a 'Dinner with Santa' on Christmas Eve. Turn out was decent, but they waited too long to advertise so many people had made other plans.

We have referred to this year as our building year, since we just moved up here from NJ last year. It takes time to build a reputation and a following when you first start out as a Santa. After all, people think there is nothing to it, just put on a suit and a beard and all, as I have said in previous posts. The people who booked us up here this year were impressed and plan to have us back next year.

This leads me to another point - marketing yourself as a PS. Always carry your business card, which should have a good picture of you in the full suit. Do not be reticient to hand a card out if someone makes the comment that you look like Santa. Make sure businesses in your area have your information early, as most plan their holiday promotions starting in July, then follow-up with a contact person around September. Be prepared to be included in promotional flyers,a nd make yourself available to get photos taken, record copy, etc. And, yes, keep the suit available in July for 'Christmas in July' sales. (We have a lightweight red cotton suit for just this type of gig - looks Christmas-y, but not as hot.) My PS has the real white beard that he trims back after the holiday, but still has a Santa look. If you have a real beard and can take it, try to keep it all year - it will help with bookings.

Packing up

There is so much more to getting to a gig than just personal hygiene and putting on a Santa suit. The preparation takes planning - what suit should be worn where, are extra gloves packed, is a Santa sack needed. In our case, because my PS plays the Autoharp at his gigs, keeping the instrument in tune. We were handed a surprise last night when the 'harp' broke. Strings are one thing, but one of the bars that holds the strings cracked. So a couple of hours were spent gluing, re-stringing, and repairing. It works, but what to do if it did really become nonfunctional? Yes, he could play a guitar, but it does not have the same punch that the Autoharp does. Still, we would do whatever has to be done.

Things to remember when packing up - safety pins, suspenders, extra Santa Hats, breath mints, powder. Like I said, be prepared. If I accompany my PS to gigs, which I will do if there are many together and he may get tired, I try to bring reading material and a flash light. The trick is to not look like I am 'casing the joint,' and try to be unobtrusive.

Princeton

As I write this, we are getting 6 to 10 inches of snow. Appropriate for Christmas, but can be miserable for getting to a gig. But more on that later. The Lighting of the Christmas Tree in Princeton, NJ went wonderfully well. Ten to fifteen thousand people all watching my PS, as well as a band, dancers - a great show! This year there was a script with elves played by the local high school thespians and more lights than ever. Beautiful night, cool, not too cold. After leading the crowd in the counting down to the lighting, Santa leaves and all the spectators go about the real business of Christmas = Shopping! But this year several families followed Santa off stage to tell him how much they enjoyed the show and to get pictures with Santa. This is the first time in the over ten years my PS has been doing the tree lighting that this has happened!

Now, what does Ms Claus do during all this? I hide in the hotel room and watch the festivities from the window. Not that I do not have the Holiday Spirit, but I know my PS - he needs to keep his mind on what he is doing and not have to worry about me in the crowd. Besides, I have noticed that sometimes he drops character around me, and we cannot have that happen!

Rules to Becoming a Professional Santa

I am sure that a person does not wake up one day and say to themselves 'I am going to be a Santa - and get paid for it too!' At least, I hope not. Usually a person who becomes a PS (Professional Santa) may volunteer to be the family's Santa, or be volunteered at work because of a "look" - and that is not always a fat belly. Sometimes there is a charm in that person's eyes that shows a love for life/children/the season, whatever. But a good PS starts out with that and can work from there.

There are rules and you may think the first rule is to love children. My opinion is the first rule is to love people in general. As I say, "children remember you, but adults never forget you." And adults around a good PS become children again - that is something to behold!

Second rule - make a good impression in the entrance. In the role as a PS arrive with confidence, knowing you have the opportunity to bring joy to the people who see you. If you have any confusion, or fear, do not show it. The magic of Santa is he can take control and handle any situation.

Which leads to the third rule - Preparation! Make sure you are clean, the suit is clean, everything is fastened and adjusted. In addition, make sure you arrive on time to the gig to get any last minute information such as where to enter, how much time you have, names of children, etc. Bring extra anything that may break, rip, get dirty, etc. That includes gloves, pants, hats, belts, suspenders, boots or boot covers. And double check your breath and 'pits' - bring mouthwash, or mints and deodorant. Matter-of-fact, my PS does not eat any garlic or onions for the whole month of December, just to be sure.

Rule four is to Expect the Unexpected. People may see you in the 'rig' outside of the event or party, so work up some answers for the questioners. Or a child may kick too hard, so learn to take a hit (or wear 'protection.') And, of course, the beard pull. If you use a fake beard, make sure it is tight and watch the hands of your children - or adults who act like children.

These are the basic rules. There are more, but each situation leads to new guidelines. I will go into more detail in another post. I also will be filling you in about our adventures in PS world this year, starting with the tree lighting in Princeton. See you soon.

Ms Claus