You could call this, “the day Santa got booted from the mall.” In this case, Santa was me. And I actually got booted from the sidewalk in front of the mall. But the fact of the matter remains. It all began the Saturday afternoon of Thanksgiving weekend, and the parking lot at the local mall never looked more crowded as I drove up and down the aisles trying to find a spot not too far away from the doors. Christmas shopping (actually, spending) was in full swing. This, I determined, was the ideal time to unveil my next big idea, in the making for months — Santa on the Way. My self-created plan is to offer my services as Santa Claus for hire, for people to invite Santa to holiday parties or other seasonal gatherings. Invite Santa to your child’s party and Santa will do the lap thing (party limit, 10 kids) and take all of the pictures you want.
This plan has been months in development. The idea took root and I organized my thoughts. Slowly, California contractors built an interactive web site to my specifications, with a great deal of back-and-forth. (www.santaontheway.com) Thern there was finding and ordering the Santa suit (a nice one). And boots. And gloves. And a hat. And business cards. And cute stickers, embelllished with the name of the web site. And little candy canes. And the small boom box for playing Christmas tunes.
Back to Saturday afternoon: I parked my sleigh and began to assemble my outfit there in the parking lot, standing by the opened rear car door. I packed my teacher tote bin on wheels with the the music, candy canes, business cards, stickers. We rolled toward the sidewalk that led up to the entrance. What could best be described as opening-night jitters prodded the butterflies straining to escape my stomach.
“Santa, Santa! Remember me?” A young girl, about 30 feet away, waved enthusiastically from her stroller seat. Her father stood by, sipping a coffee. The were off to the side, on the sidewalk, but not in the entranceway. “Hello, hello!” I called out, as I Santa-walked my way over to the stroller and made eye contact with the parent. “Have you been a good girl?” The young girl began chattering a mile a minute, recounting her last meeting with Santa. There’s a certain amount of “of course I remember” involved with being Santa. That’s what happens when you’re all knowing and all-seeing. Her excitement was just what I needed.
I checked with her parent, then gave her a candy cane and a sticker (customized with the web site name). She wanted to talk. At the same time, a car pulled up at the curb and stopped. “Santa! Santa!” Two children in the back seat crowded the open window. “Are you being good?” Then, with the adult OK, candy canes and stickers, and a business card.
As they pulled off, my first fan called out from the lot, on the way back to her car. “I’ll see you, Santa!”
I set up shop on the bench outside the mall entrance. I figured that their Mall Santa didn’t need any inside competition, so I’d stay outdoors. There was a woman standing out front waiting for a ride, who watched what was unfolding and listened to my spiel. She eyed me up and down, then moved away, to stand at a safe distance away.
As I was starting to feel a bit more comfortable, I had another visitor. He came from inside the mall, and he was dressed in a mall security uniform. It was not a child. He was shy, but said that his boss had told him to come out here to see what was going on. I explained the “Santa on the Way” idea and gave him a business card. I told him I wasn’t selling anything and I was fine staying out on the sidewalk in front of the entrance.
(Those business cards weren’t cheap, by the way — double-sided, full color, on heavy, durable stock paper. )
When I saw the guard coming out of the door, less that 5 minutes later, I figured it wasn’t good news. Yup. Santa had to clear out. Security was a bit sheepish, but the ruling had been made: There was no soliciting permitted. Guess I kind of expected this. I flashed back to the Bugs Bunny cartoon where he’s facing off with Yosemite Sam, who declares, “this town ain’t big enough for the both of us.” This mall “ain’t big enough” for both of us clashing Santas. And I was the one who was forced to leave town.
Something had happened during this time. I began to feel the power of the Red Suit. Santa was a universal constant, in a world becoming more difficult each day to deal with. Santa is a safe place, recognized and loved for the joy he brings and shares.
As I rode off into the sunset, er, back to my car, I reflected upon the past hour. Not too bad for a first try, I figured. There are always bugs to be worked out, whenever there’s a new process. I’d passed out a few business cards. Didn’t take long to apply what I’d learned. We went to one of those “small business Saturday” events that evening the town next-door. This time, I wore only my Santa hat, and brought candy canes and business cards. When the moment was right, I’d seek the OK from the nearby adult and then pass out the candy cane and the sticker. Kids acted as if they were having a close encounter of the Santa kind, even though I wasn’t in full gear.
This is the power of the man in the Red Suit.
I tell my own story of my first encounter with Santa Claus on my web site, http://www.santaontheway.com
Oh, and if you didn’t catch the hint, please check out http://www.santaontheway.com
Thanks.
olderdadyoungerchild 