Santa's helper ready to hear children's wish lists
The Christmas season is not too long. Retailers are not annoyingly pushing it earlier and earlier every year.
That's according to the man who is in the thick it -- Santa Claus, or Santa's helper.
While sitting in his chair at Spring Hill Mall amidst the twinkling lights and carols playing in the background, he said it's a shame the Christmas season isn't longer.
"I don't think we could have enough of the Christmas season. It puts people in the right heart," Santa's helper said.
His chair was set up Nov. 10, a day earlier from last year. And even though Thanksgiving is a week away, he's ready for the children -- and the children are ready for him. He said he was ready the minute he first sat in it this year, and he will have the same enthusiasm for children of all ages for the next five-plus weeks -- or 423 hours -- he'll be in the chair.
He's an expert on time and people. This helper has been sitting in the same chair for the last 10 years. And the children, well, they run the gamut in ages.
"I've held kids who are a week old," he said. "And my oldest was 98. Somebody brought their mother in to see me."
The gifts they ask for also vary. Name it and someone has requested it. But, he makes no promises. The only promise he tries to make is he'll be in his spot on time seven days a week until Dec. 24.
"I haven't called in sick once," he said. "Oh, we always catch colds. but I'm here. I take my vitamins and eat my vegetables."
To help him keep that promise, he suggested that parents whose children are sick with a cold or the flu to pick another day to visit. Through the years, his tenure at Spring Hill Mall has built up a following. Parents bring their children to see him year after year.
"We even have people come in from Wisconsin to see this Santa," said his helper, Stephanie Horist.
His following is so popular that lines for his lap and his ear snake through the mall.
"We've even started a Santa pager system," she said. "The wait could be up to two hours. We'll take people's names and give them a pager so they can continue to shop. When it gets near their turn, we'll page them."
Maybe the reason this helper is so popular is because he's broken through some language barriers. He speaks Spanish and knows sign language. He's also such a hit with pets that two nights, Nov. 21 and 26, have been set aside time to be photographed with dogs and cats.
Naturally, some of them are nervous at first glance at the man in the red suit. But they calm down after a while. The same is true for young children who have never sat on his lap. But that can be easily fixed.
"I tell parents to show their children pictures of me before they come, and talk about me. That way they can get use to the idea of me," he said.
And it wouldn't hurt to walk by Santa's mall workshop and let their kids see all the other children waiting to talk to him. There's plenty of time between now and Christmas.