I wore the Red Suit Read Online Free PDF

and sat in this chair, I might never have been exposed to this in my life. I just thought Santa saw children and smiled for a picture. I once believed that the only hard part of playing Santa was making sure there were enough candy canes to go around. It can be something more than that if you let it. It is connecting with the child or parent who has come to see you. Deep inside, I think we all want to believe in something; why not Santa.

    One cute little brown-haired girl smiled at me as she approached. She had just this minute come from the dentist, and for the holiday season, she had alternating red and green brackets on her teeth for her braces. She told me that the Christmas season was especially joyful for her. So every time she smiled at herself in a mirror she would think of the holidays. “She hoped that when she smiled at others, they would become joyful too.” A child's mind is wonderful in its simplistic views on life. I have two children of my own. One son thinks I am silly for doing this Santa gig, and the other does not quite know what to make of it yet. I think that inside they like what I am doing for the other children. They were both teenagers at the time I started my Santa adventures, so it did not quite fit being cool yet.

    My oldest son came home from high school, and he told me this little story. It seems a couple of the most popular young women were shopping in the mall, and decided to have their picture taken with Santa. Only because he looked like the real one, did they invest their money to have a picture taken. Six or seven dollars are important to a teenager who thinks about gas in a car or movies. I expect most of those kids try at least to manage their cash flow. I am sure the other kids thought it was a cool idea anyway. After showing almost everyone in the school, they finally came across my son and showed him. “Look Jake” they said. “Is this Santa neat? He is so cool when he talked to us.” One girl said, “I even tried to pull his beard, and it didn't come off.” My son told me he looked at the picture and told the girls that Santa was, in reality, his dad. He also told them that he never knows where I am going to turn up next. He feigns disinterest most of the time, but I think he is proud of me. Moreover, I am sure this made points with Martha, who he had been mooning over since his freshman year.
     
    1000 Malls
    I have learned to limit my hours sitting in the mall as Santa. I found that doing long hours is tiring. For example; Friday after Thanksgiving I did fourteen hours straight, then the next day, Saturday, thirteen hours; finally, Sunday, another   nine hours. I just had sat in that chair for a total of thirty-six hours with only four bathroom breaks during that whole actual time on the set. Doing too many hours is not only mind numbing, but after a while, the children could feel the tension in my actions. Tiredness can get to you and then become a problem. All I want to do is rush them through the line. Clock watching becomes a common practice. With shorter hours sitting, I was surprised that the time passed so quickly. It appears the fun of being in crowds of children stops after more than six hours a day as an elfish character. The environment all around me becomes an irritation; right down to the smell of fast food on the kid’s breath and clothes. When a person is tired and hungry and cannot satisfy either; the bubbly and energetic children and the aroma of fries and burgers can be almost unbearable.   Still, I try to finish my set on a high note. The following season I reduce my time to be only six-hours a day. It just means that the marketing department that contracts the Santa’s need to hire a couple of extra men to fill those other hours.   However, at least I turned irritation back into having fun again.

    Advertising the arrival of Santa is important, or in some cases, the lack of advertising can dampen the spirits of those people who are waiting for me