We all know the feeling of waking up on Christmas morning with anticipation and excitement. Did that magic, jolly man in a red suit slide down our chimney? Did his reindeer, led by Rudolph, land the sleigh on our roof? No matter your age, the representation of Santa Claus still brings a smile.
I met Santa and Mrs. Claus (known by day as Bob and Deanna Partlow) at Hotel RL. They are easy to spot even in street clothes. With a long white beard, wire-rimmed glasses, and big smile, Bob is waiting for me in front of the Christmas tree. Santa is talking with volunteers putting the final touches on Providence Christmas Forest, where he and Mrs. Claus will be making an appearance.
From Bob to Santa
Bob started going gray or white rather at a very early age, but it wasn’t until he retired in 2013 and took the suggestion of a stranger that he really put it to use. “He had a big white beard and he said, ‘Have you ever thought about being a Santa?’” Although Santa Bob had done informal gigs for family and friends, he had never really committed to the whole sleigh and reindeer thing. “There’s an enormous amount that goes into doing the job right. It’s not just showing up with a suit on and sitting down. You have to take the responsibility seriously,” says Bob who learned more about the professional role after attending a NORPAC Santas summer event.
It didn’t take much for Santa and Mrs. Claus to know they were hooked. The next step was attending the International University of Santa Claus, a traveling certificate program teaching the fundamentals of the Santa role. Bob and Deanna learned about the right shade of white for his beard, how to source the perfect costume and refined proper etiquette and picture poses. And don’t forget the Santa Claus Oath, taken by each professional Santa.
Bob equates being Santa Claus to when the Beetles first came to the United States and all the girls went crazy. He says to me, “They just think you’re a rock star. They think Santa is a rock star.” And Mrs. Claus gets to watch the excitement first hand. “They look at him with such adoration in their eyes,” Deanna says. “It is just such a beautiful thing to see. It’s really amazing and I am so jealous.” Bob tells me it doesn’t matter the location or season, he gets stopped frequently for pictures, but for him that’s just an added perk of the job.
More Than Just the Suit
Bob explains, “I refer to being Santa at the mall as a five-hour improv. You don’t know what’s coming at you next and you have to be able to respond.” One year little girl said her Christmas wish was to be able to see Santa on Christmas Eve. As he explained how that wasn’t really possible, because he’s only there for a brief moment, she had the answer. “That’s all right. I’ve got a GoPro and I’m going to put it up on the Christmas tree.” Or take for instance last year when a girl about six or seven years old walked up dressed to perfection from head to toe, not a hair out of place. “She looked like she had just walked out of a Disney princess movie and I said to her, what do you want for Christmas this year? And she said, ‘I’d like a minion fart blaster.’”
The stories are what keep Bob smiling all season long and also on his toes. Every experience is different and you never know what you’re going to hear when you are Santa. “Personally I try to treat every child that I meet as the first and only child I’m going to see that day. I try to give it everything I can.”
However, being Santa isn’t all candy canes and sleigh bells. Sometimes Bob has to be the one to hear the things that aren’t so easy – like the child who just wants his grandmother to live long enough to see one more Christmas or the boy who wants his family back together. “Those are the kinds of hard stories that you have to deal with and hear and offer comfort, but that’s what Santa is about. What you can do is you can offer comfort and empathy to children that are really hurting,” he says.
“The really interesting thing is Santa is pretty universal. He can be a relatable figure,” says Deanna. Sometimes Santa even has to be a bit of a disciplinarian, but the two say the naughty list is more of a joke than anything and they like to stick to the positive. “You want to promote love, peace and caring. You want kids to believe that there is something out there, even if it’s kind of magical and mystical, that you can carry in your heart and can carry with you forward.”
Extending Their Gift
Whether you are nine or ninety, there’s just something special about Santa Claus representing the promise of hope, love and kindness. “There is a certain kind of magic to it. It’s not anything you can really put your finger on, but if you do it long enough, you see it, even in the littlest kids. To me I think there’s even a part of every adult that still wants to believe,” says Bob in summary.
You can find Santa and Mrs. Claus this year at the Thurston County Food Bank in mid-December, where they will be taking pictures with families and handing out stockings to kids under age 12. Mrs. Claus also has a GoFundMe campaign currently raising money to fill stockings for needy children.
