How to Play Santa Claus for Children--A Short Guide
Copyright (c) 2006 Victoria McCraw
My Santa Suit
http://www.mysantasuit.com
Playing Santa Claus for children, whether as a semi professional
shopping mall Santa, a charity Santa who works to cheer up less
fortunate children, or even as the resident Santa at social and
family gatherings, is a heartwarming and important job. Nothing
can quite compare with the smile on a child's face when he or
she discovers that Santa is in the room. With this knowledge,
some may worry that they will not be able to portray the beloved
figure realistically enough. While there are some superficial
requirements to playing Santa (Santa Suits, a hearty belly laugh,
etc.), the true measure of whether or not one is a successful
Santa Claus is whether or not your attitude captures the jovial
and caring nature of Saint Nick.
The first thing that one should consider when playing Santa is
the type of Santa costumes that you will need. There are Santa
suits for any budget, and there is no need to spend a great deal
of money on such Christmas costumes unless you are playing Santa
professionally. As long as the Santa suits are a close enough to
the mark to let the children recognize you as Santa Claus, then
they have served their purpose. Of course, children are
notoriously perceptive when it comes to their favorite icons, and
they will pick up on any incongruities immediately. In other
words, do not expect to pull off the trick with a red pull over
sweater and some cotton balls stuck to your face!
Once you have decided on the Santa suits that you are going to
use, the next thing to do when playing Santa Claus is to work on
that distinctive laugh of his. Remember to not get hung up on
saying "Ho Ho Ho!" At best, that sounds forced. Remember that
Santa's laugh should come from deep inside the belly and should
explode outward in a shower of joviality. The idea is for the
laugh to be both stereotypical and realistic. No two Santa
players will do the laugh exactly the same.
The final, and perhaps most important, element of playing Santa
is to have the attitude. Santa Claus is known as jovial and
caring. If you are feeling tired and cranky (having children on
your lap for hours at a time can have that effect), be sure to
take a break to get your spirits back up before returning to the
festivities. Even the most elaborate Santa suits are not enough
to counteract the effects of a bad attitude.
Victoria McCraw is the founder of MySantaSuit.com.
The site provides Santa suits-Costumes, Christmas
Costumes, and even Sexy Santa Helper Outfits in
large selections and styles and all at Discount
pricing. If you plan on "Playing Santa" this year,
be sure to visit Santas little helper at MySantaSuit.com
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