Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
One Christmas shopping season, a young boy sat on Tim Connaghan’s lap and asked Santa for a very special gift: To bring his mother back from heaven.
Connaghan paused, searching for the right words. With gentle care, he leaned in and told the boy that even Santa could not do everything.
Santa’s abilities were limited to creating toys—but he could also pray for his mother.
The boy nodded.
Being Santa is not always fun or easy, says Connaghan.
“You’ve got to be ready for what happens,” he said, adding that becoming the best Santa is essential, meaningful, and most importantly, “magical.”
The Worldwide Santa Claus Network observed that, as a portrayal artist, the salary for a professional Santa in 2022 ranged from $150 to $500 per hour.
This rate can be even higher for engagements involving commercials and advertising. Some Santas have earned $60,000 or more annually as product brand ambassadors.
Virtual visits exploded in 2020 during the pandemic as physical venues were canceled, and many people discovered something unexpected: visiting Santa [online] is actually a lot of fun,” the network noted.
Jeff Vrba from Meridian, Idaho, graduated on May 3, wearing a red cowboy hat and a printed shirt featuring Santa riding a bucking bull while sporting a salt-and-pepper beard.
His wife, Julie, is known as Mrs. Claus.
Vrba said that it took him six months to grow the beard for the role of Santa, which he has been performing for private events and various gigs over the past three years.
“It’s a mixture of everything. I haven’t done any mall-work in our area,” said Vrba, 60.
“I love kids, spreading the Christmas cheer, and also sharing the true meaning of Christmas.”
Vrba began his Santa career about a year after the pandemic began, which led to many Zoom visits as Vrba learned how to use the technology.
“We had to do a lot of visits that way,” Vrba told The Epoch Times.
Like any profession, he said, there are specific occupational hazards and unpleasant episodes with being Santa.
“I’ve had three pulled beards. Once, I think his Dad set it up because [the child] pulled and pulled,” Vrba said.
Full Santa Recovery
Allen Cornwell, 56, the president of the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas, arrived from Fontana, California, to attend Santa class in Phoenix on May 3.
Even an experienced Santa can benefit from a refresher course, he said.
“I’ve been a professional Santa for about four years,” Cornwell told The Epoch Times. “I’d done it a couple of times before that.”
Cornwell embraced the role of Santa after surviving a serious illness that nearly took his life.
He let his beard grow long. He continued his recovery. Then he met another Santa who said, “You could be Santa.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he told the man.
“But the longer I thought about it, I said, ‘Yeah, let me do this for the kids and the family,’” Cornwell said.
“It’s really changed my life. It’s sort of a subculture that I never knew existed.”
In a time of politics and division, Cornwell believes that people of all ages need Santa more than ever.
“It gives them a message of hope and generosity, and caring for each other,” he said.
