An Exclusive Interview with the Name on Everybody’s Lips

The door alarm chimed signaling our entertainer had arrived for the children’s Christmas party. My boss set down the ornaments we were labeling with the company logo to greet the professional Santa Claus. From the office, I heard a warm, familiar voice float in. Tilting my head to hear more catch the tone I wondered how I knew that voice.

Overcome with curiosity, I moved around the corner, my boss stood transfixed. The most wonderful smell of warmed gingerbread masked the heavy sterile bleach smell of a children’s play place. His velvet coat went down to the floor stopping just above snow drift height. His boots were shined, and his beard neatly curled and trim.

Perplexed how my boss booked such an authentic Kris Kringle on her budget, I admired the guest. While they talked, I worked behind the counter setting out treats and firing up our check in computer. Out the big glass windows snow drifted to the ground. The parking lot was completely empty. I looked at the man in our lobby. He was not snowy and his cherry cheeks were warm from smiling not from high winds.

As I continued to set up, my boss engaged in personal conversation with a man she had never met before. Amid my bustling I heard, “Well hello Madeleine, you seem to be setting out a wonderful spread for the children.” The man before me was beautiful in a transcendent sort of way. And when I leaned back to take his tall, stout figure in, he glistened.

I could not bring myself to ask how he knew my name. For some reason I wanted the hope to extend just a little longer. Over the course of the party, we watched this Santa Claus recite The Night Before Christmas from memory, call each child by name, interact with parents melting their seasonal stress away, and attend to everybody. I kept dismissing the genuineness as tricks a really good impersonator would use.

But the kicker still to this day is what happened after the party. My boss, coworkers, and I milled around assessing the smashed into carpet cookie fragments, the annihilated bathrooms, and puddling hot chocolate carafe. Then we heard a Christmas song being hummed until it faded out the front door. My boss dashed for the lobby to say thank you to our Santa Claus, us trailing behind, but he was gone. The parking lot was still empty, no car was weaving its way down our hill, and no footprints in the fresh snow led away from the door. My coworker looked down to the floor.

“Ah you said we weren’t going to do glitter in the craft. You know how it is so hard to clean.”

We all looked around at one another, no glitter had been used, before running out the door to see a faint trail of sparkle through the snow.

To this day I still wonder, with just a small bit of my heart, if I met the real Santa. Not the mythical man made up for children, rather the rare kind of man who put everyone’s expectations and hopes before his own. A true man of Christmas.

This month I searched around for another true Christmas spirit and found a local wonder, Santa Ames. He started impersonating Santa Claus over sixteen years ago and knows that telling the story of giving with your whole heart is one that brings joy to all people. Dave Greulich shares with us just why talk about Santa Claus and the spirit of Christmas should be on everyone’s lips all year round.

MK: Do you consider yourself a storyteller or more of an actor in a story?

SA: I consider myself more of a storyteller. I enjoy developing stories about the North Pole to tell the kids. I had a mentor tell me that as long as you can make the story believable, you can tell them anything you want. Like how the reindeer fly or that your neighbors at the North Pole are an abominable snowman family.

MK: That is news to me! Hopefully, they are nice neighbors to have. What are a few unique ways you connect to Santa Claus, past the physical impressions? How do you become this legendary figure before arriving at events?

SA: I am a legacy. My father was a Santa for some 30+ years. It all started during his time as the chef for Wakonda Club in Des Moines. The manager told him he was getting dressed up for the children’s Christmas party. Then he added three families he regularly visited for Christmas. He kept that tradition for 32 years.

I waited to put on the suit till several years after he retired. My routine is when I drive to events, I practice my HoHoHo’s to loosen up, go over in my mind which story I plan to tell, and of course listen to Christmas music. Right now, I have 540 Christmas songs on my playlist, everything from Doris Day to REO Speedwagon to Sting.

MK: A variation of Christmas is celebrated or observed in the majority of countries around the world. How important do you believe it is for all people to have at least one story in common? Why would you guess Christmas became that story?

SA: Having a common story brings people together; no matter the variations, traditional, Christian, folk lore, or pagan. As far back as we can see, every civilization has had a story of a gift giving tradition. People have always had the need to belong to a bigger group and nothing brings groups of people together better than exchanging gifts and celebrating

MK: What is your favorite element of Christmas? Is that why you decided to become a professional Santa Claus?

SA: The children!!! My first motivation in becoming Santa was to earn some extra money for my family, but that changed the very first day I had the suit on.

I was walking up to the front of the store I was visiting and I heard “Santa, Santa”. A young girl pulled her father across the parking lot toward me. When she got to the sidewalk, she broke free and started running towards me. I got down on one knee to meet her. She ran into my arms it just about knocked me over. It felt as if she had melted into my arms. I have never had a feeling like that before and so I decided to portray Santa as long as I could. I dare say that every Santa Claus has had a moment like that.

MK: Is there anything you think that the Christmas season is missing?

SA: I think there should be more of an attitude toward giving than receiving. I do as much as I can to emulate that during the season. I decorate my yard extensively and several nights during the season, I sit out in the sleigh and invite everyone to come over for pictures with Santa. I ask for nonperishable food donations for the local food pantry. Over the past 6 years, I turned in over 1.5 tons of food.

MK: That is incredible and what a great way for Santa to give one extra important gift to the community. Thank you so much Santa Ames, we wish you all the best with your holiday season.

Dave Greulich hosts a user friendly, Christmas themed website where you can book him for events, read a blog about Santa’s holiday activities, and enjoy Christmas pictures from his past seasons.