Nevadan at Work: Cap on head, suit of red, driving sled? Must be Santa

If you have children or grandchildren who believe in Santa Claus, don't let them read this (not that they would be thumbing through the Business section anyway.)

As semiretired sign painter Bob Johnson plowed through a buffet lunch about three months ago, he noticed a man at a nearby table frequently looking him over.

Drawing stares was nothing new for Johnson. With this flowing white beard and hair, wire-framed glasses and self-described "pretty good-sized gut," children have stopped and pointed at him for years. "Look, Daddy, there's Santa and he's not working," they will say in amazement.

This time, however, Johnson was being checked out by a veteran mall Santa whom he calls Santa Rex.

Santa Rex referred Johnson to AmuseMatte, one of a handful of companies that places Santas across the country. When the Boulevard Mall had a Santa opening, Johnson decided to give the gig a try.

"It's a pretty good deal," Johnson said. "When Boulevard Mall needed a new Santa, I had (AmuseMatte) send me a contract. It was reasonable and paid well, so I signed."

AmuseMatte, however, is not in the business of spreading good tidings and boughs of holly. It sells holiday photo packages.

On its website, the company says its "professional, 'natural look' Santas have been breaking revenue records providing the ultimate experience for a mall's youngest visitors." At the Boulevard Mall, Santa photo packages cost $14.95 to $47.95.

Even in these days of superheroes and digital destruction games, Santa remains a draw for children.

"It is surprising, but they seem to have a total belief in Santa Claus," Johnson said. "They still ask about the reindeer. I tell them the reindeer are up on the roof right now. The elves are feeding them."

And Johnson has a standard explanation for why all those other Santas are around town.

"Those are all my helpers," he said. "I'm the real dude."

Question: To those of us who haven't done it, this job looks simple. Sit in the chair, listen to the kids' requests, do the "ho, ho, ho." Are we missing something?

Answer: Yes, you are. It is fun, it is rewarding when you see the smiles on the kids and their eyes get big. Even some of the adults don't lose their romantic feeling for Christmas. They'll wave and get happy and everything.

But some of them are pretty jaded. It's also kind of brutal because you're on call a long time. You get a lunch break, of course, but when you are in the chair you have to be ready for one kid after another sitting on your lap. Some of them are fine, but some of them are afraid and they cry and they kick. You are trying to make money for the company so you want to get pictures. It can be tough.

It's a seven-day a week job so there are no breaks. I'm going nonstop from Nov. 17 to Dec. 24, so it's kind of intense that way.

Question: What investment did this require?

Answer: I bought a specially tailored costume that cost me almost $1,000 for the costume and belt, and a backup costume. I had (the main costume) made at Adele's of Hollywood. It's really nice.

There are cheaper ones, but I wanted to do it this way. Santa Rex advised me to get something that is built well and really looks good. I did buy a Chinese-made costume as a backup but it's pretty flimsy.

Question: Did you need any special training?

Answer: My mentor, Santa Rex, pretty well took care of me. He told me how to avoid getting sick by taking lots of vitamins and a lot of C and placing a fan near me that blows the kids' germs away. Also, change gloves frequently because that's where you pick up the germs and try to keep from touching your face. He said, "You will get sick. I guarantee it."

Another thing Santa Rex showed me how to do is to make a stool that's about 9 inches high that you can slide out from under the chair so the kids can get up and stand on it. Some of these kids, 7, 8, 9 years old, even younger, can get pretty hefty. If you are picking them up, your back is getting it.

Question: What have you learned about your onstage demeanor?

Answer: For me it's natural because I'm the oldest of 10 and have a lot of nieces and nephews, so I've been around children a lot. I don't have a problem with children at all and even the adults. I just like people.

I like the idea of Christmas and we always had the greatest Christmases with my family. My mom and dad made sure we had a blast. It has always been a favorite time of year for me.

I like making people happy and that's what Santa does, for the kids anyway. The parents fork out the money for the photo, so they're not as happy. But even some of them I can get smiles out of.

Question: What kind of liability issues come with working as a Santa?

Answer: One thing Santa Rex taught me is to always to keep my hands showing. You are susceptible to people claiming that you are not up to any good. You're on camera all the time, so I try to make sure that whenever I'm holding a child or adult that both of my gloves showing. But this would be a perfect guise for someone who is a pedophile.

Question: What share of the kids would you say are naughty versus nice?

Answer: Nice is 99 percent. I get great kids. I only get a couple that are sad or upset. I don't think the parents bring them to you when they are in that frame of mind. Almost all of the kids I get are just lovely kids.

If they are real bad, we just say bring them back next year or try again some other time. Santa doesn't want to get kicked to death and he doesn't want to struggle with the child. That's not good for the child, either.

One way to calm them down is that we give them a piece of candy after the photo, if the parents approve. If they are real bad, we show them the candy and say they will get some candy only if they are nice. You try to bribe them a little bit.

I sympathize with the kids who are frightened of Santa. What an odd character he is. Who is this guy in a red suit and a white beard?

Question: How many parents are naughty versus nice?

Answer: I would say maybe 75 nice and 25 naughty. Some of the parents are just kind of grumpy. There are few that try to control things and really get hard with their kids when the kids won't smile or they won't do just what they want. Then you have to try to get them to ease up a little bit, give the kids some space. Mostly, the parents are pretty good and if they are not, I can usually swing them around and get them to smile a little.

Question: What do the kids ask for?

Answer: One of things that surprises me is the requests for gifts. I had a 4-year old girl ask me for a laptop. They all want iPods and iPads. I don't know how parents can afford it anymore.

Even the Barbie stuff - there is a two-story house that costs like $100. Lot of them ask for that or the Barbie makeup.

Question: Do you ever have to fight the urge to tell them to tone down the expensive lists?

Answer: No, I let them go. It doesn't hurt them any. I just make sure they know they have to be supergood if they want to get all that stuff. Not just a little bit. They have to keep their rooms clean and help wash dishes and listen to mom and dad and not beat up their little sisters.

Question: Are you tempted to wing it beyond the standard "ho, ho, ho"?

Answer: I high-five the kids, but that's about as far as I go. I do the "ho, ho, ho." I don't see how you can beat the traditional Santa. He's the best.

Contact reporter Tim O'Reiley at toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.