If you are going to be Santa then you need top make sure you behave as Santa would. Or, at least as you imagined Santa would behave. That means that Santa is not sarcastic, stern, and flirtatious around women or smells of cigarettes or drink. Santa of course is a Saint and as such should act like one.
Now if you are making an appearance as Santa in front of your children then it's easy when they are young, but it gets harder as they get older. Little kids are in awe of Santa and it doesn't take too much to fool them. As children begin to mature they scrutinize Santa's visit and look for the signs of deception as mentioned above. It takes a talented adult capable of disguising his voice good enough to fool his own kids.
If you are playing Santa for the neighbor's kids or at a family function then you have a much better chance of pulling it off. Unless a child knows you very well they are usually too excited at the sight of Santa to see through your disguise.
Now the next thing I'm going to mention can be a real deal breaker. That is of course the fact that Dad or Uncle Jim is never in the room when Santa shows up. This can be a real challenge with kids five or older. You can fool them the first year, but after that they begin to look around the room for the adult they suspect might be taking the place of the real Father Christmas.
I have a few suggestions and one that's only for those who really take their Santa duties seriously. First, make an announcement early in the night that you have to leave for some prearranged duty. Whether it's going to the store for more eggnog, down the street to drop off a last minute present or whatever, but do it early enough so the kids expect you to be gone.
Another trick is to get an accomplice to vouch for you immediately after you return. By that I mean you have someone claim that you were holding their video camera taking pictures during Santa's entire visit if you are challenged by a six year old.
Now this next one is only for those who have enough time and talent on their hands to pull this off. Last year I took a photo of my parent's home two nights before Christmas Eve, complete with snow and Christmas decorations. My entire family celebrates Christmas Eve at my Mom's house and Santa always makes an appearance.
I took the photo and on my computer I photo shopped a photo of Santa complete with sleigh and reindeer on top of my parent's roof. I then took another digital photo of my handiwork off my computer screen and kept in my camera. On Christmas Eve I showed the photo to the kids minutes after Santa left, proof certain I had been outside lying in wait to secretly catch Santa with my camera. It fooled all of the eight year olds and younger and even had the eleven year old scratching her head!
Now, if Santa is carrying presents for the kids as opposed to just candy canes make sure they are all equal in value. Santa can't give little Jimmy a ten dollar truck and little Billy a sixty dollar video game. Kids are never so dizzy from Santa's visit that they can't figure out they were short changed after he leaves.
The present problem can be a real issue at large family parties where Mom and Dad bring a pre wrapped gift and leave it at the door for Santa to hand out. I was at one party where my cousin forgot to bring a gift and had her husband run out to get one. The only problem was no wrapping paper, so they wrapped it in newspaper which was lying around the hall. I refused to play Santa and deliver such a cheaply wrapped present while all of the other kids had the customary gifts with bows. This would have been a dead giveaway for those seven year olds who already wonder about Santa's existence. I stood my ground until they went out and bought some traditional paper. Keeping Santa's image is a responsibility.
When playing Santa try not to get into a detailed conversation with the child. A simple "were you good?" or "are you leaving me cookies and milk?" will work. The more Santa converses, the more his voice and speech can be identified. It can be hard to keep that deep, bellowing Santa voice after a few minutes so the more you speak the harder it gets to maintain the disguise. Plus, a chatty Santa might end up showing his ignorant of what the latest toys are on the minds of youngsters and that's not good.
Finally, Santa should never over stay his welcome. Remember that Santa is a very busy person and as such shouldn't hang around anywhere for too long, unless of course your working in a mall. The longer Santa stays the more accustomed children become to his presence and it hurts the effect. Santa should leave as quickly as he came which helps create that sense of mystery.
Too many adults who play Santa want to hang around to entertain their fellow adults and that can ruin the experience for the children. Remember, Santa would never have adult woman sit on his lap or take a sip from a beer bottle. Santa is a saintly person who represents charity, kindness and goodness. If you are to be a good Santa then you need to remember you are there for the kids only.
Being Santa can be very fun and fulfilling, but remember your actions are recorded forever in the minds of the young. Just be the Santa of your childhood dreams and everything will work out fine.
