Hello Monday ?

Hey,


Today is the last day in November. That means Christmas is on the next Calender page. I am so excited! Lets all flip the page together now, on 3. One. Two. Hey, no early flipping Greta! OK Three. Good job, Michelle! Daniel, I see you turned late, but Santa forgives you.


There. Doesn't that feel better now that we're all on the same page?


Alright, now to the good stuff. Today we had 283 little wonders (and boy do I wonder sometimes) who had there picture with the Dude in the Red Suit. We also had a few dogs - a Shepard/Border Collie mix, a cute Yellow Lab, and a very Black Lab. Tasha was off...lol. I also have, as promised, a total from the tote board. We have done 5474 picture's. That is way over from last year at this time.


Today was a long work day for a Monday - 9 hours. It was longer because it is a holiday in PA for the opening of Deer Season (rifle). Because of all the hunters, all the schools close and some companies.


Hey, we also need to give a Santa "Get Well" shout out to Elf Jeremy. He had knee surgery. Unfortunately, he will not be able to fly Sleigh #2 into position this holiday season. He's the Captain of that sleigh. So a temporary replacement elf is in the works. (I'm wondering if emergency elf John T. would like to FLY on Christmas eve?) Now you are all wondering what I am talking about. There is no possible way I can carry all the toys in the main sleigh, so we use a backup and reindeer-in-training to have items ready to switch over when I arrive. It works pretty slick, as I have been doing this for a while. If you only knew the logistics of something this complex!


We had some fun kids today. We just need to get the parents in the holiday mood; the grumps. I had two sisters that were all smiles and just little giggler's. Soooo, to Santa that means to test messing with them. It was green for go from the very first second. I wiggled them, I had my hands in their faces, and just before the picture was taken I bounced them on my knee. I am getting "Santa, behave." from elf Courtney, but the kids and parents just loved it. I also had a little boy who his mom said was up to the challenge of Santa. She was not kidding! I did the leg wiggle, and he wrapped his legs around mine to get it going faster and I had to use both of my arms to stop it. I tried the hand in the face and he put both of his in mine. And lastly, I attempted the age old jumping bean, and he pushed off the floor to go higher. Oh, and when I stopped each part he looked at me and gave me a monkey face. It was sooo cool and everybody was laughing.


Well I have a busy day tomorrow. I have laundry, shopping, and the office (BPS). So off to bed Santa goes. I will try to get some pictures up tomorrow, I know how much you all like them.



Santa

And today was Sunday !

Hi!


Well, my friends, today was a better day all around. Santa was able to sleep in for two whole hours and the elves were in a good mood. There were a lot of dogs/puppies in to see Santa. Plus all the equipment worked.


Today we had 399 photos taken of the kids and the kids-at-heart as they passed through Santa's lap. We had two of the biggest dog's I have ever seen and I don't know anything about them. When they were sitting on the floor their heads were even with my elbow (I am sitting in the Big Chair!) AND they were considered puppies at 9 months old. We had a 5-month old German Shepard Pup; a Black Lab pup; a Pug; an 8-week old Golden Retriever pup (still had the puppy breath as it licked my face); an 8-week old Red Nosed Rottweiler pup with the fun breath; a Golden Retriever that wears a camo baseball hat; a 3-month old golden Lab pup; a older Golden Retriever; a pure bred Mutt (owners words) it looks like a cross between a lab and a retriever; and probably the most important dog, a Chocolate Lab pup that was being trained as a guide dog. (It is kind of fun to watch them, because they have to be exposed to everything, and they have all there ID's so they can go anywhere!)


I told you we had a lot of dogs in today! We won't even talk about Tasha who learned the signal for "rollover" and "Good Girl."


You could tell the long weekend was wearing on people and that they are looking for things to do today. So of course BPS is on their list. Tomorrow I will start four hours early due to the extra traffic expected as it's the opening of rifle deer hunting. Moms are are expected to be bringing in kids to keep them occupied. So it shall be interesting!


The kids were generally good, but the parents and grandparents were a real trip! They were pushy, demanding, rude, and wanting things there way, and they were the nice ones. Did anybody tell them BPS is NOT Burger King?


The kids came in all dressed up for the most part, and a lot of kids in Santa suits, in Santa Hats, and even elf hats. Needless to say they were almost as cute as me. Some kids even wore suit's and the girls wore dresses, they really tied to do the portrait thing to the max for the free picture. Oh, and the Mall Santa's camera broke so we got all their business (which is not much to begin with, but again it something).


The most memorable kids of the day were from a family that I had last year...and man, they were worse this year! The mom grabbed and slammed her kids (who were dressed perfectly) in to me, each other, my chair, and even the set. The lady would not allow us to make suggestions on placement of the kids. I was almost to the point that I was last year when I said I would leave if it would help her any? But she stopped, and she used mom spit to fix a few faces and even an out-of-place hair on one of the boys. Just incase you were wondering, she was not in the picture. Her kids were all in the teenage stage, and not one of them were happy about being there or with her. I could see the pain in their eyes...


Also, as tomorrow is rifle season for deer, a guy and his wife and two kids came to see Santa. The kids were first, and they were fine. Then the parents, and he was not so fine. As we finished the parent's photos, the husband said he was going hunting to kill Rudolph. I could not let that go by, so I said something like "Hey, that's nothing to say in front of Santa or the kids." He laughed it off, but his family did not...as I soon found out. A short time later he came back to me and handed me a letter from the "Dear Santa" letterhead and apologized in blue crayon. I have no idea what was said by the kids, but something was said.


I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but I get to sleep in again....


Have a wonderful night's sleep,



Santa

Black Saturday Lives---Run for it!

Hi there!

Well as most of you should know Black Friday is usually the busiest day of the Santa season. But NO. Black-er Saturday wins this year!

Today we had 639 little darlings who had their pictures on my lap. That is more than 119 pictures over last year's Black Saturday. We also had an 8-month old rabbit (How smart is that in a hunting store with dogs?) and a LOAD of dogs. We had Golden Retriever triplets, a Golden Lab, a pure bred Shih-Tsu, a beautiful Akea, a Shih-Poo, and a cat. Oh, and we had one that could be Janelle's twin, but more on that never.

The photo above should tell the tale of the day. Santa is running a tad ragged. Even Bobby was back to give me my lunch break today and some kid blew lunch on him. Welcome back, Bobby! The other photos show the people in on Blacker Saturday, and the green moss pond in front of the store. It is really calming.

Today was a day Santa needed something extra to get himself through the day. I was dragging. So all is not well in Santa's world. But with the help of the elves we all got Santa through the day. I just wish my back could be better at this. OK, Santa will stop whining now....

I had the pleasure of picking on elves Tasha and Janelle for the longest part of the day. While elf Courtney got it pretty good during the first part of the day. To keep me going in the first half, I just plunged through it with the help of Diet Coke (remember the older ad's people), and only really messed with a few kids. But after lunch I messed with a good portion of the kids, and elf Tasha got it good. But she gives just as good as she gets, so she was a "good girl," and she could "sit" and "stay" on task, and did not"roll over" when the kids were too tough on her. Elf Janelle was just elf Janelle. I'm wondering if her elf hat was on too tight? But at least she was sanitary from my point in the Big Dudes Chair.

I think I need to talk about Elf Roxy tomorrow, but where to start?

The kids today were odd to say the least. I think they were still tired from being dragged all over on Black Friday. I also think the parents were looking for something for them to do while shopping and said, "Let's go to Bass Pro." (Hey, it rhymes.) I have to admit there is something for everybody here. But the "Talent" digresses. How do I explain when some of this needs to be experienced?

We have been getting a lot of kids in infant Santa suits for pictures. They are really cute! Now what bugs Santa? Yep. Screaming kids that are plopped in my lap for the enjoyment of the parents. We had a TON of those today.

My brain is sleeping, so this must be a good place to end for tonight.

Happy Sunday,

Santa

Black Friday is here...Run

Hi my tired friends,


Well if today is any indication on how things went for Black Friday around the USA, the place got a deal and the recovery is on... But somebody forgot to tell Santa!


Today we did 512 pictures in my 12 hrs at BPS, and that included some dogs. We had a deaf and blind Terrier who really liked Santa's beard, a yappy Yorkie, an American Bull dog that loved my beard and washed my nose, two Shih-Poos, and a brown short-haired Mutt (who was the seeing eye dog of the Terrier, really). We had some slower times but it was steady all the time. Which for all you math majors gives me 1.4 minutes per kid/photo. Wargo, Santa needs a raise!

I want to give a "Hey!" to Janelle. She had a sneezing spell and she sneezes down inside her shirt. She then grabs the Sanitary wipes and cleans herself up thoroughly. I guess it's for her Marine boyfriend. I would hate for him to catch a cold... I could go on but he's bigger than me.

I had a few strange things happen today:

1) It was fun to have at least 50 people come up to me and say that they remembered me from last year and that's why they came back! And they remember the Wonderland set being across the hallway facing the windows. (This year we have our backs to the windows.) I have to admit I was taken a bit back that they would remember me. But again, when you have it you have it and the "Talent" has "IT" to spare.

2) The other thing was learning that there was a seeing eye dog for another dog. That just blew me away!

3) Another is all the different countries that came through today - China, Japan, Korea, Mandarin, Spain, Jamaica, India, Russia, and Israel. With all those languages being spoken, we also had a little English from time to time. The countries listed above do not have "Santas," they just see them in movies and Satellite American TV. So they were just fascinated and wanted to touch my coat and beard, and they liked the tassel on my hat.


Well, my friends, my theory on the people that do Black Friday is this - YOUR NUTS! They completely destroy stores, get in fights, steal items out of other people's carts, trample people, and get mad at a drop of the hat. All this fun to save two bucks on a sweatshirt! For an example, while on a very short break, I passed a set of tables that had four ladies folding sweaters. I was gone less that 10 minutes and the table/sweaters was a complete shambles when I walked back. Santa fails to understand so I stay out of the way. Now I have to admit to save 51% on a name brand GPS unit is a good deal. But, come on! How many do you think a place has for that price? Sorry, no rain checks.


For a day of pandemonium, the kids and adults were generally in a good mood when they came to see me. I was in a good mood too. I really like to watch people, and I love the kids.


The elves on the other hand...oh, could I go on! But I'm too tired and another 12-hr day is approaching fast.

Good night and dreams sweet,

Santa

Rubber Ducky...You're the One!

Hi again,

I am one tired Santa! Today we did 198 photos in Santa's Wonderland. We also had a few dog's. We had two Yorkie's, a Chocolate lab, a Shih-Poo (a mix of a Shih Tzu and a Poodle), and a Black Lab.

Now a little on the Chocolate Lab. He wanted Santa for dinner. The big dog was scared of the Big Guy, and every time they brought the dog near me it would bark and it's saliva would foam up. The owner gave me treats to give to the dog. Nope! Finally, I was getting worried about the kids and adults in the area so I told the owner we would try only one more time for a picture, and then we're done. Well, I don't know what happened between the last time and this next time, but the dog turned into a kitty cat. The dog sat next to Santa with the owner holding the leash. (Good plan!) Santa was glad it was over and the owner was happy with the photo.

The kids were a fun mix to say the least. There was a lot of kids dressed up and now Turkey day is over.

One group really stood out in my mind. We had a group of eight from India. They came to Harrisburg so they could go to Hershey World, but it was closed. So they came to Bass Pro until they had to leave to return to India. We felt sorry for them and gave them extra pictures with Santa to show at home. Now the "Talent" will be famous in India! We did our best to make their time fun. None had never seen Santa in person before - only in movies - and they even saw Santa boogie!

A lot of kids wanted to stand next to me today which is strange because usually everyone wants to sit in my lap. There was one little girl that stood next to me and held my hand. Hey, whatever works! I can understand why teenagers do it because they are too cool to sit with Santa. That is unless there is a teenage girl involved; then she makes him sit in my lap. Just remember, nobody is "Cooler than the dude in the Red Suit."

The pictures above are of the BIG GUY himself! The one with the rubber duck is Janelle's idea. She tossed it at me because she was being mean!

The one with my leg up on the railing is Santa being Macho...! And it worked for me!

The last one is me just being me. We can all stand in awe of the "Talent."

Well, Santa really needs his sleep so nighty night,

Santa

T minus 30 day's til Home !

Hi there,

Yes, it's true. Thirty days from now Santa, the Big Guy, the "Talent", or if you prefer, "The Claus" will be back at the North Pole.

Now back to reality. Today we had 123 little darlings and one dog. It was a Cockapoo -a high bred cross between a Poodle and Cocker Spaniel. Not the cutest dog I've ever seen.

What a difference a day makes. No really! Yesterday just about everybody was a grump, but today people we happy, laughing, and looking forward to the Holidays.

The real boss at BPS is Jim's Administrative Assistant Deb. She made an off-the-cuff comment about Jimmy O staying with me for Thanksgiving. Well I could not let that go. So I started sharing about Jimmy O and the "Talent" sharing a double bed in NY last year. (Now you need to know that Jimmy is a BIG dude, but a teddy bear, and I slept on the couch.) So Jimmy O, Jim Wargo and myself went on and on about that because it was hilarious! And it still is! Between all of us we could hardly talk because of laughing so hard. What a way to start the day! So what's really happening is that Jimmy is staying at the same hotel as I am because of working late for Black Friday and being in no shape to drive home.

The kids were very cute today and a couple of girls came up just giggling to see Santa with there horrified brother. I cannot not let two giggling little girls go by without a memorable thought of Santa, so I started to mess with the girls and was caught off guard because they have other brothers and they get messed with by their siblings. So when I moved my hand in front of their faces, they grabbed my hand in less than a second! They had vice grips for hands and there was no way I could get away. That was very funny and even the elves thought it was just dessert for Santa. Santa had almost met his match...

The picture above is of the hotel staff in elf hats. They surprised me as I headed out for Santa duty today... Kind of cool.

Keep Santa in your prayers, it is a long stretch starting tomorrow - 5 long days in a row.

Night,

Santa

OK, who let out the Grumpys?

Hey there,

Today we had 108 little darlings through my lap. We also had two dog's - an American Bull Dog and a Pomeranian.

The above photos are, as promised, of the hotel I am living at. One is of the outside. (The building is brand new, they were finishing it last year.) The other three are of the inside of my room. I call it 60's retro as the lamps, fixtures, and furniture are all from that era. I am NOT complaining at all, it is very comfortable and very well run. Yes, I would stay here again.

Now to the kids. Let me put it as a true professional would. They were grumpy all evening! I thought it was just my keen senses that are always in tune, but the highly-trained elves noticed it also. Plus, it was not just limited to the kids. It was also the adults.

We had a little chap that just got up on the wrong side of the earth. He was a bugger! He wanted his picture taken, but no smile. Mom is going to get Jimmy smile. "NO" he said, and he crossed his arms. Well I uncrossed the arms and the NO's continued for a good 5 minutes. Needless to say, there was no smile.

I say this because with the other darlings, the NO's continued, along with the hitting of parents, a kicking of a parent, and general all over siblings being siblings. Oh, and the crying was sometimes even in stereo. Now to every rule there are exceptions. I had this little kid that was all about giving Santa a hug, and then two more. Yes we had "grumpy kids/adults" day. But you know, just 1 or 2 cute kids really make your day. I am the "Talent" after all.

As the "Talent" I saw myself on the local Fox 43 TV Station tonight and I did an exceptional job. If you don't believe me, just wait for the Emmy nominations.

Well I need extra rest tonight because the next four long days are about to start. And my new pad has not arrived yet for my big chair. Oh, and I have an extra special announcement tomorrow, so stay tuned...

Sweet sleep,

Santa

Oh, Give me a Break

Hey there,

Today we had 82 little darlings through Santa's Wonderland. We also had three dogs. One was a Black Lab mix, and the other two were pure breds. Santa was asked if he has a new total, so here it is. To date we've had 3213 photos taken. Last year we did not get to 3000 until Black Friday. Santa needs a raise!

I was asked by Mrs. Claus to take some pictures of my hotel room so she can see where I'm staying. I will take some on Tuesday and then post them in my blog.

Tasha, sit! Stay. Good girl. I'm putting this in because a beautiful dog came in today named Tasha, and so the jokes began. (And not by me.) I just joined in to be nice...lol

I have to admit that today there was nothing too special going on. Bass Pro was focused on gearing up for Thanksgiving at Fox & Friends. Elf Troy will be going up and cooking turkeys. I wish him well and hope he does not end up cooking a frozen bird. They have to be fresh, otherwise they will blow up in the deep fryer.

We did have one memorable incident. As you know, we give away one free picture. Sounds easy enough, but for some reason people have a hard time with that. We had this beautiful infant come in all nice in her dress. However, she would not stop crying when I had her, and then she would stop when mom picked her up (very normal). So the mom put the child back in my arms, and guess what? She freaked. Mom took her back again, and she would quit. Do you sense a pattern? Well this went on for awhile...like 5 times. Mom would not accept the fact that her all-dressed-up little girl would not mind and she wanted a picture with her perfect. An elf had a chat with her and she finally stopped. And yes, she had her one photo. And yes, the baby was crying.

I hope you all have a great night,



Santa

Today was another steller day.

Hi there.

Here is one tired Santa, and one Santa that is in trouble. So let's start with why I am in trouble. Today was BPS' Christmas Party and I was going to stay for the whole party...but did not. I helped get things going, and I manned the soda pop station until everybody had at least one soda. But I felt out of place and it really was BPS employees' party, so I snuck out. Well, AnnaMaria is back and she is a real staunch supporter of mine. So when I found out later that she was looking for me to do the prize drawing, I knew was in the dog house!

The good news is we did 349 pictures today, including some dogs. We had a large Schnauzer, Golden Retriever, and a Yellow Lab. This is 29 more pictures than last year on this date. I want you to know that this will be my last comparison to last year, except in special circumstances as I don't see us going under last year's counts with the busiest part of the season coming up.

Now lets talk kids. With it being a Sunday, the kids were very cute having come straight from church in the morning. The girls were in dresses and the boys were all in good clothes. It made my morning!

We had a little boy that that came to see the Talent who was waving at me down the hall (as did others), but he was extra excited. I figured he was 25-30 minutes away and all that energy would be gone. Well, I kept a half an eye on him and as he made his way to the Big Guy I thought he was more calm. I was so wrong. When I waived for him to come up, the boy bolted for me. I made a grab for him as he made it to me, and as I touched him he jumped and twisted to land in my lap...but he missed, as did I. Let me give you a glimpse of what happened. His head hit my chin, the elbow planted firmly in my gut and his foot planted just above my jingle bells. I planted him in my lap and the elves were looking at me like, "Do you need a doctor?" Well, luckily I did not...and I was not bleeding - much to my surprise. I took care of the little boy just like the other kids, but maybe a little slower for awhile.

We also had this meek little girl come up and I really did not take special notice of her except she had blonde hair and was in elementary school. She handed me a card-sized envelope and I could tell it was thicker, so I said I would put it in my pocket and read it later. Elf Cindy came up and whispered in my ear that I should really open and read the note right away as the girl would be "devastated" if I didn't. The elves don't whisper in my ear often so I knew I had better take a look. It was really beautiful hand made (scrapbook style) card. It had small Santa hats, a wreath, pine cones, and other Christmas decorations. The inside had some text about the night before Christmas story on Velum and some hand markings. I made a really big deal about the nice card and put it back in my pocket. I then placed the trembling girl on my lap. She was so excited she was shaking.

I would like to wish elf Cindy and her elfin family well as they head out for a fact finding mission in Tennessee (Thanksgiving). I wish her safe travels and I am looking forward to her return and her full report on the Wednesday after next.

All three pictures are of the BPS Harrisburg Christmas party...

Santa needs his beauty sleep, so until tomorrow good night!

Santa

Oh, you can't believe this day!

Hi everybody,

Okay, I know I'm impressive and I do have some help, but I think I out did myself. Santa is nothing if he's not humble. Santa does have a fill-in (Bobby) for when I go to lunch and I do have a team of elves.

Today we did 686 photos and last year we did 476; and yes we did some dogs. Just in case you are in disbelief, the computer does not lie and neither does my rear end. For the math, that is an increase of 210 over last year. That is one picture every 1.3 minutes - and that doesn't even come close to how many kids I had in my lap at any one time. One time I had eight in and around my lap and chair. So my guess is that I had 1200 kids/adults through my lap throughout the day give or take.

The dogs that visited us today were a Jack Russel Terrier, two Paris Hilton dogs, a Black Lab, and a big baby Black German Shepard. (The dog is full grown but if the owner goes more than a step away, it cries.) It was worse than some of the kids.

The kids were something else today. Maybe because I was not feeling well, but I decided we were going to have fun. If you are honestly having fun, I really think the kids pick up on it. Plus I did not tell the elves, so they just thought Santa lost it. I would do things just before the elves snapped the picture like shift my body, shift my legs, raise my hand, put my hand in front of a kid's face, and just mess with the elves. The kids loved it! and all I would hear from the elves was, "Santa!" and then I straighten up and all is right with the world. BUT I have to pick the kids carefully, and I am pretty good at picking!

Today I messed with two kids in a row. Then a little girl (about 6-7) and her younger sister were next. Well, the older girl grabbed my hand and held my hand firmly until the picture was over! I guess she was not going to be messed with! That in itself was funny...

Another time was a boy that just made himself at home in Santa's lap. (See photo above.) I called it "Lounging with Santa." His Dad was embarrassed until he realised I was messing back. Then he just leaned against the wall and laughed with us.

One pretty little girl in Santa's lap just wanted to give me a hug, and a hug, and another hug.

The last photo above is two short-haired Chihuahuas that visited Santa today.

It always amazes me when a child is kinder that most adults. I had two kids today separately say with all sincerity they did not want any gifts this year. They wanted their gifts to go to kids that might not get gifts. Now that is kindness at the highest levels. I gave the two girls an extra big hug...

I also had a little red haired girl (sounds like Charlie Brown) who wanted to give the big guy a kiss. I thought it was sweet so I said yes. Well, one kiss turned out to be many kisses because mom wanted to capture the moment in a picture. I finally called it quits and everybody was happy.

I have another early day on Sunday, so off to bed...

Sweet dreams,

Santa

Can you say catch up?

Hey there!

Okay, now I know the "Talent " is a great guy, but even I am impressed. Today we saw 187 people in a short shift. Last year we saw 84 in the same time period. That is an increase of 103, so let's just forget about the little oops from yesterday (down by 14) because we pounded that back! Or as Chris Smith said, "We got Slammed" plus we were short staffed. People were lined up down the hall. We also saw a few dogs - a huge Black Lab and a Border Collie pup.

A couple of funny things happened...

1. A HUGE Black Great Dane (it looked like a horse, no joke) came to see me...lol. The big chicken was really scared of Santa, and would not come within 3 feet of me. The owners told Santa they were concerned how he would react. I was surprised they said that AFTER the horse was close to me. But one of the owners stood between me and the dog the whole time.

2. Well the other thing happened with elf Courtney. During a short break, she and I got accidentally locked in Santa's Workshop together. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we were locked in. We tried knocking on the door and yelling, but nobody came. So Courtney used her cell phone and called the front end of the store. One of the lead tellers came over in a few minutes and opened the door for us. She thought it was a joke, but nope!

Now before anybody gets in a lather, while I was on a break elf Courtney came in to get some Santa stickers. I had the door situated in such a way that I could get out. But when elf Courtney came in, the door closed and locked behind her. Crazy elves!

Before I go much farther I want to give a Get Well shout out to AnnaMarie. She is the head HR person at this BPS who got sick with the H1N1 flu, which has now developed into full pneumonia. Let's all hope she gets well really soon.

As for the rest of the day, it was as normal as it could be. We had a lot of kids, many who were just too scared to see Santa up close even when they were excited before at a farther distance. But at least they tried.

I was asked today what the oddest reaction is that I get from the kids. Well, it is not what most people think. The simple majority of them pass gas in my lap because of nerves. I can tell just before most of them do it because they start clenching their butt muscles. Toddlers in diapers just lose bodily function in one or two areas (if you know what I mean). It's always a strange feeling when Santa gets a warm feeling on his leg. But to date, no accidents on the Big Guy and I want to keep that record going.

The picture above is just a cutie with Santa having a talk...

Santa has a very long day tomorrow (12 hrs) so I had better get some sleep.

Sweet dreams,

Santa

When it rains it pours...

Hey there!

Well it just had to happen, and yes, it happened to the "Talent." We dropped in numbers. Today we had 66 people, no animals. Last year, we did 80 photos. That is only a 14 person drop, however.

We did have rotten weather today - very gloomy, and after 5pm lots of rain. People said I should not walk to my hotel but I responded, "I'll just say, 'Santa does not want to get wet' and it will stop raining." Well, guess what? It quit raining for the 10 minutes it took ME to walk to the hotel, and as I entered the hotel it began pouring again. The "Talent" still has clout! I am in my room now and I can hear the rain hit the window.

I must admit, even with the rain we had some cute kids come through. But we had a couple of kids that just drove me to make my sleigh bells ring. When I first got in the Big Chair a little girl in a red dress with a white cape/shawl came up to me and then just took off in the other direction. After some major coaxing from her mom and some deal making, the picture finally took place. The mom was just beside herself with excitement because this is the first picture she has of the two of them together.

Another was a toddler about a year old I guessed. After the picture the parents told me that they had their baby's picture taken with me 1 year and 2 weeks ago. Hey, Santa likes a repeat customer...lol

So we have a little ground to make up Friday, but I am confident we can do it.

As you can tell there are a couple of pictures. The one with 2 elves is up because I just wanted you to know that I do have male elves. They are Barry and Don.

The other is of a child and Santa. He wanted to see who's feet were bigger so we went toe to toe (or to be more correct boot toe, and tennis toe)... Mine were bigger! But he was cute.

Thanks for watching!

Santa

And they say it could not be done...Ha

Hello everybody,

As you can tell this is a Red Letter day. (Get it?)

Today we had 78 photos taken, and last year we had 47. That gives us an increase of 31 photos. We are doing really well. We have been up every day except one (Bass Pro Records), and so both our numbers are right on. We only had one dog today - a Golden Retriever. Wednesdays are usually quiet anyway due to church activities and such.

I have to wonder what's next for the Big Guy? With the rearranged set from last year, BPS has been messing around with lighting, exposure time, flash or no flash and THEY think they have it about right now with six high-powered spotlights pointed right at me. The photos are better, but now there are shadows and Santa feels like he is in a convection oven. They do have a good fan for me, but "I am blinded by the light." (Remember the song?) And now they want to add 2-3 additional spots at a different angle to get rid of the shadows, with even more light on the "Talent." I believe they want Santa to melt away (not really), and be blinded in the process! Oh, and it makes a guy with a white trimmed jacket, hat, and white beard look a tad washed out. Can everyone say "sunglasses?"

It has been a busy, busy day for the Talent, and no nap! Yes, its true. Can you believe it?

So be kind, rewind,


Santa

Ok Santa is not perfect...?

Hi to you,

For all my loyal readers, here are the honest numbers. Please be seated, as I don't want anybody hurt while being shocked by how great we are. I'll wait........ Today we did 100 pictures on the button. Last year we did 74. I know it does not sound like a lot, but 26 additional people does make a difference. Also, just for those who are wondering, we are at a total of 1775 photos taken to date. Last year to date we were 1471, which is a difference of 304+.

We had a first today. We did a photo of a CAT (sorry, I did not get the breed...lol). We also did have some dogs - a Black Shepard (looked like a lab, but the owner said), a fat Pomerania, and two beautiful Alaskan Huskies (one was blue eyed).

We also had a couple of senior citizens I would like to make note of. The first was a 77 year old man who said he has never sat on Santa's lap before. He was a hoot, and he really liked his photo.

The other was a 92 year old grandma who again said she never was on Santa's lap before. I asked if it was a thrill for her, and she said "Yes, because my husband died in 1988 and he was the last." We gave her the photo. She said it was going on the fridge and she was going to tell her 91 year old sister to see me. She was beyond happy and that makes Santa happy also.

The elderly are some of the most forgotten people and it is my pleasure to have them in Santa's Wonderland!

Now back to the title. It was pointed out by elf Tasha that I was wrong on my count for Nov. 15. Actually, I was only about 100 off. But as a humble Santa, I corrected my mistake. (She must have told me wrong!) Also I was a little off on how many kids elf Tasha has. But being a gentleman, I will refrain from saying by how much I was off. Santa is quite in tune with his elves.

Well, Santa needs his beauty sleep.

Nightie night,

Santa

And now its Monday.

Hi to you,

Well I said I would add some pictures, so here you go!

The one with the red chair is the mall santa's chair, as you can see it is really close to the sand castle. Remember what I said they can't show the castle because it copyrighted.

The two pictures above the chair are of a little boy with a gun... It is a toy pop gun, but he had to have a picture with Santa or no Gun. I am glad I can help out the kids with firearms. (Not so much.) But he is cute, and it was kind of funny.

The top picture is a mechanical Elf that is fixing the roof of Santa Workshop. It is a endless task. But its job security.

The picture under that is the Big Guy's chair. The chair with the extremely hard seat. I use the orange personal floatation device as a backrest, because the spindles are even harder on the back than the seat is on the seat.

Now to the really important stuff...the numbers. Today we did 85 pictures and last year we did 73, so another up day for the "Talent." We did have one dog. A beautiful Golden Retriever. She had to give my beard a sniff before she would do the picture...luckily, I passed the test.

Even though we did 85 pictures it was kind of quiet. I think the main reason is that it is a school night. But I still have a soapbox or two for standing on.

Here is a real rub. Why the fascination on seeing screaming kids in terror? What I mean is, when parents force their scared kid to sit on Santa's lap. I really discourage this and try hard not to get into this game, but sometimes I have to. I mean, we tell kids don't look at strangers, don't talk to strangers and don't sit in their lap. Well, the kids remember this when they see Santa, and they freak. What happens is the parents drop the already crying kids in my lap and get mad when we take the photo when he's crying. They say things like, "Well, papa can't have this!" and they want to do it over and over and the kid's just more and more upset... And we are the bad guys??? It must be the elves (Courtney?)

Mrs. Claus and I have been Skyping over the last few day's and I have to admit it is kind of fun. Plus I can see Mrs. Claus, which should make the miles seem not so long.... But hey, this is what we do... God help us!

Santa

What a diffrence a day makes.

Hey there,


As we say, "No two days are the same." and today is no different. We had a 10-hr day and we did 391 pictures. Sorry to say but I have no real numbers for last year for comparison due to the computer at Bass Pro having died last year in the middle of the shift. However, I am happy to tell you that today everything went smoothly, so no jinx from last year. Thank you, Lord.


My gut tells me we did a little better last year, but as I said above we really have no records. Let's call it a wash.


Today had three interesting items happen that kind of sticks out.


First off I saw my buddy Joey who gave Santa a gift last year. I recognised him right away and he was happy I did. He was not bearing gifts for Santa today, but he was happy I remembered. Just so you all know, Joey has a disability but is still a great teenager!


Secondly, a little red-haired girl with Down syndrome is one of my biggest fans! Last year she must have came 20 times to see me. This year I got a little too excited to see her and I ended up scaring her. So after her dad calmed her down, she came back up to Santa and sat in my lap and was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a kiss. She was just jumping with excitement as she left. It is so amazing to see her excitement.


The last item is that it was Bass Pro's Associate Night. That is a special night employees of Bass Pro and their families can shop after normal hours and get a special discount, and of course get a picture with ME. It was fun to see the employees be more relaxed and with their families. Of course not everybody showed up, but it's their loss not to get a picture with the Talent.


It never ceases to amaze me how wrong our impressions can be. Let me give you an example. You would think the kids would be the ones causing trouble for Santa. Not true, it is the adults and the grandparents. The adults are demanding, lie to your face, and do whatever they want. Oh, and if you attempt to enforce the rules, they get mad and call you names.

Here are the simple rules for your FREE picture. You can have 1 group photo, or one photo of each person. So lets say you have a family of 4. You could have 1 picture of 4, or 4 pictures of 1. It sounds simple because it is. But today a well-dressed family of 6-7 came in right off the bat and paid NO attention to the rules. They wanted each one alone, then just the girls, then just the boys, then by who the daddy's are, then a group shot (I am not joking or exaggerating in the least). I finally said that we are done. If they want any more pictures, they need to take the pictures themselves and Santa will not allow any more than two additional pictures with him. I told the photo people to walk away from the camera.

Well, the lady in the $500 shoes said that's not all the different families, and we need photos for the meema and peepa. I said sorry, you can take pictures elsewhere in the store but not here. She let me have it, and I said "Merry Christmas and remember the real reason for the season." She responded with giving me the bird.

I also had another person come in and say she had 4 kids and she wanted 6 different shots for their different daddys. I explained the rules and she just tossed her arms in the air and said that it would not work. I said you can have 1 of each, but she said that she did not want pictures for herself of some of the kids. It was so sad because I could see the pain in a few of the kids eyes. They were trapped in the middle and they did not ask for this to happen to them.


Well, enough happy thoughts for tonight. Sleep well and I'll be back tomorrow.



Santa

The first day of 12

Hi friends,


Well today was my first day of working a 12-hour shift. I am one pooped out Santa. My Big Chair is so hard it hurts my rump to be on it for so long. So the Talent has a tender tush!



Last year we did 480 pictures, but this year we did 621 photos (with over 1000 kids sitting on my lap). That averages out to be 56.6 kids per hour! SO we had an increase of 141 pictures and are ahead by 267 pictures to date from last year. Not bad at all, if I do say so myself.


When I arrived in Santa's Wonderland the line was so long I could not see the end. I was concerned about the amount of time I would be able to spend with each kid. But with that many, you just go. We tried the "Bass Passes" and they failed totally. People are trained to wait for Santa even if it takes an hour or more.


Needless to say, it was a very steady stream of kids and their parents the whole time. The kids were asking for Barbies, Nintendo DSi, Star Wars Lego's, and just plain baby dolls. I still got hit with the kids that wanted Laptops, XBox 360, and other high ticket items like that. So I usually try to talk them down, but that does not always work.


I will have more pictures tomorrow if Tasha behaves herself. I would think a 26 year old with 8 kids and one in the oven would be ...... well you fill in the blank. I have to admit, between her and Court I can not get away with anything. I will go into more details another day.


We had some wonderful kids, and some kids with such a mouth that I don't know how they eat with that thing. But we are all professionals and we do our jobs to the best of Santa's ability.


One last thing, the Mall Santa started today from 4-6pm and he's already crabby. He yells at the kids, shoves them around, and is just plain mean. I was personally told about this by two people. One person showed me the pictures she received from the Mall Santa and I "smoked him." You can tell that he is mad in the photo, he has a lighter red suit, and SPATS on instead of boots. Not to mention a not so real beard. He charges 10 bucks to sit in his lap, and 15 bucks for two 3x4 photos. Wow, what a great santa.


Well I need to get up soon so I better head off to bed. Remember be kind to the "Talent," or he just might send you to the Mall Santa.


Night,



Santa

Boy am I tired...

Hi,

Today we had 121 photos taken and a few dogs. We had two different Golden Retrievers, a Taco Bell Dog, and a Lab that licked my face (can I get the dog flu???) Last year we did 118 photos. So the Talent brings it again.

Today is a little strange. But before I get to that, is the US Air Force bored or something? For the last two days they have been flying routes in and out of the Harrisburg airport. (It was a military base until it was given to the city.) Now I don't mind seeing military air craft, but I when they are sooo low I can see the pilots.... Plus, some some of those planes are HUGE like a super tanker (the ones that fill up the planes in mid flight), a couple of fighter jets, and a C-130 Cargo jet. OK, Santa is off his soap box (for now)...lol

Now to the kids. First let me say to the teenage girls PUT some clothing ON. The reason I say this is I get a lot of teens on my lap, and I don't want to be blamed for something.

I have always found it amazing how excited kids get to see Santa from a ways away. Then at 20 feet terror enters their eyes. If the kids get within 10 feet, their feet no longer work. We had this toddler yell from the other end of the store " SANTA I'm over here!" I look up and give a Santa wave, and I see him actually jumping up and down. Well, at the start of the carpet to see Santa he has 4 fingers in his mouth, shaking his head NO to his Mom, and his feet are no longer jumping. In fact, I don't think they worked at all anymore. Dad gently pushes him to move and he walks like he is taking a drunk test. He walks heal toe, heal toe (yes, he would have passed). The boy gets half way and his fine motor skills are no longer working, and mom has to carry him to me. (I refuse to grab at a kid!) The mom says to me, "We have been talking about this for a week getting him pumped up." So she puts him in my lap, and he turns into a board and just about slides off.... Dad responds, "Fine, we're going HOME." He did it with conviction (I almost got up) and the kid loudly said, "No!" smiled, sat nice, and they received a great free photo! I looked at mom with a "What happened?" look, and she leans in and said if we went home that meant no McDonald's. I said hey what ever works....lol

Today is a holiday in PA - the opening of deer hunting. All the schools are closed and some state services are also closed, so Bass Pro was NUTS. Honestly at times I could not see the race track that is only 15 feet away. People where coming at Santa's Chair from 3 different directions. I had to get that stopped, so I got a elf to direct traffic and send people the right way to see the Dude in the Red Suit.

The photo above is of three of my elves - Courtney, Janelle and Tasha. They are kind of the 3 amigo's.

Santa has a long day Saturday working 10am - 10pm. So I had better head to the sheets.

Night,

Santa

Only 41 days til Christmas.

Hi there,

Let me first say, Hi Court !!!! One of my faithful blog readers. I would say hi to elf Cindy, but she is mad at Santa (not really, but it sounds good). So I'll say hi to her later.

Today we had 47 photos taken and one dog - a Cattle and Shepherd dog mix. Great looking dog and minds very well. I guess it is a cattle herder... Oh and last year we did 41 photos. So we are way ahead of the curve with a big weekend ahead.

The photos up top are of the annual Harrisburg Sand Castle. They build it in the Harrisburg Mall, using 120 tons of sand. If I can get another shot, I will add it another day, but the mall Santa sits in front of the castle for his photos. Here is the rub, they can't show the castle's artwork because it is copyrighted and the Santa company does not have the rights. So you only see Santa, child, Santa's chair, and a bit of sand. That's it. The Mall Santa's kick off is the 14th. I am already looking forward to seeing the competition!

Today was a very normal day in terms of being Santa. The early season start really does toss a odd factor into the holiday, and it does catch people off guard. I am running into a fair amount of kids that have not even thought about what they want for Christmas. BUT there are the ones that have a five-page list. You are most likely asking yourself, "Why are they there?" That's easy, the free picture. Bass Pro is selling packages in the store and online (No, Santa does not get a % of those sold. Why? Because the company I work for did not know about it.) Usually the Santa receives between 10-25% of all sales... Bass Pro was very wise to offer a free picture the last two years, mostly due to the poor economy. That gets the family in the door, and makes it a destination if they keep it up.

Now about a couple of the kids. The first one was a family from Korea. A young lady walked up to me and asked if they had to be a kid to have a picture with the Dude in the Red Suit. I told her they had to be a "kid at heart," so we did a family photo (grandma, grandpa, husband, wife (who is pregnant), and 4 kids). One guess who the stinker was. Grandma! She kept pulling my hat off! You have to watch those grandmothers. The other was a family that did not want to see Santa. Instead they broke the racetrack, broke the wireless remote control monster trucks, and according to the elves, terrorised Santa's Wonderland. The worst of the bunch were the parents because they "tried" to fix it themselves. So poor maintenance! They have their work cut out for them in the morning. The most disappointing part was that nobody could then play with the two funnest games.

Well tomorrow is another day, but I have to go to bed first.

Santa

I can't believe it...

Hello to you all,

I hope you all had a great day. I had a good day leaning towards a little crazy.

We had 59 photos taken and last year we did 53, so another day with an increase. I would like to sit down and figure the percentages but I am happy with an increase. We only had 1 dog and it was a Chocolate Lab. Great looking dog!

I was reading my email and found out some interesting information. As you are aware, I did an interview on November 4th with NBC (Kare 11) about my plan to Skype with sick kids, and keep myself healthy with the H1N1 out there. Much to my surprise, they aired the interview that same evening...I mention this because I was just notified that CBS is running with it at WZZM 13 in Michigan. Also City Pages in Minneapolis is redoing it with their spin. They have it in print and on the Web. Santa is just shocked on how this has grown legs.

Today was a shocker (as if the above wasn't enough) because Santa needed to "punt." When it's time for me to sit in the Big Chair, I usually get escorted down by an elf or two. Today, nobody showed. No big deal, I thought. The Talent can walk to his chair by himself. However, I had to wait for an escort. When my escort did come, she asked me who was taking the photos. I said I didn't know and asked "Why?" (Why did I do that.) She told me nobody was down there. I thought she was pulling my leg. But nope, not even the camera equipment was there. So as the Bass Pro people were finding out what was going on and who was going to snap some photos, I worked the line.

I am a firm believer that if you tell people the truth with a smile, they will smile in kind. (Plus who would yell at Santa?) So I walked up to the people in the front of the line and said I have some good news and some not so good news. The good news - I'm here! The not so good news - The photo stuff is not. After a short wait, we were honored to have one of the Bass Pro managers snapping photos for an hour in Santa's Wonderland.

So after we got going, I noticed that everyone I had talked with came back in line and had their photo with the Dude.

Hope you have a good night!

Santa

Well I guess it had to happen...

Hi to you,

So today it had to happen, and I will explain later...

Today we had 59 photos taken, and we had some wonderful dogs including a Great Dane, Black Lab, Yorkie, Chocolate Lab, and a Springer Spaniel. Last year we had 66 photos, so we went down by 7 from last year. Normally, I would be just crushed. But the "Talent" is still ahead of the curve...

Last year you read about me spouting about my bro Barry. Well he is no longer with Bass Pro, and from what I hear he is enjoying his retirement. Go Barry!

Today was another quiet day, but steady. One person just kind of sticks in my mind, which is amazing, I know. This family comes up to see the big guy and I noticed two of the three kids (the third being an infant) were translating for their mom. The kids asked if they could have a family picture. Of course, I said yes. So after I hear a "See" from the oldest child (about 8 years old) I was swarmed in less than 5 seconds. I had the two oldest on my knees, with mom on my right. I told the oldest child that mom had to be on my left (the Bass Pro logo goes on the right of the photograph automatically), so she switched sides and I noticed she was hanging onto the infant like it was a sack of flour. I pointed to the camera, smile, and "snap" the picture was taken.

I then asked the question heard everywhere these days, "What would you girls like for Christmas?" Now I thought that it was a clear, concise, and straight forward question without too much room for error on my part. I was wrong. The answer I received was, "Thanksgiving!" I smiled and said, "No, for Christmas?" and the younger girl said, "Yes, but we are looking forward to Thanksgiving for all that good food." Now after a second to process what the girls said, I realized that they were just happy for food, and Thanksgiving is the day you get all your favorites. Christmas was not even in there minds. I expect somebody told mom about the stuff at Bass Pro so she just brought them to give them a break and so they can be kids and play with the toys and get a picture for the frig. and later Christmas will come.

Now you might be thinking Santa is reading a lot into the situation. However, if you could of seen the faces of these kids when they were talking with me, and watched how they played, you would agree I'm not far off.

Be Kind and Rewind,



Santa

Day 2

Hey there,


Well today was an interesting day to say the least. But first, the numbers we are all waiting for! Today we had 60 photos taken and last year the number was 43. That is a 17 photo increase. Sorry no dog's. Good thing as we had a mailman, excuse me "mail person" working the camera. We all can just imagine the problems it could have caused...


First off, a problem at home at the North Pole. Mrs. Claus is not feeling well and a diamond from her anniversary ring popped out. I don't care too much about the lost rock, but I need Mrs. Claus doing well as she is running Santa's workshop. Get well wishes to her.


Bass Pro was quiet today but just busy enough to make the day fly by. So with a quiet day and a quiet night, I say Good Night.





Santa

And we are off to the races....

Hi everybody,

Well today was the start of the 2009 Christmas season. And yes it seems really early. Pretty soon Santa will be out before halloween.

We had 226 photos and 3 dogs today (a black Lab and 2 Corgies). For those of you who like to keep track of this kind of stuff, last year we had 132 total for the opening day. That is a 94-photo increase. I need a raise! Also, just for those that know, this means my blood is 115 for the day.


The opening of Santa's Wonderland went smoother this year. No power outages, and things went on as they were supposed to. The Chief Meteorologist from the local Fox station was this year's emcee and his family helped. I was brought around the building in a Tracker Nitro Bass Boat, sitting on the front bow seat as we (me + 2 elves) made it around and came to a stop in front of Bass Pro. Well, it was almost flawless except for the TV crews that setup in front of the platform that I was supposed to use to get off the boat. After some coaxing from the driver of the Tracker truck, the camera crew moved just enough for me to jump off onto the platform. It took awhile for my 2 elves to get off, but they are more nimble than Old St Nick...or even ME.

Everything went very well from that point on. The tree lit up when it was supposed to, and the crowd was into it. We then moved inside to the opening of Santa's Wonderland and that went off well with the ribbon cutting by the daughters of the emcee...

I then took my seat in the Big Chair, and we were off. We saw so many people and in such a short amount of time it seems like a blur. But the main things kids asked for were things like Star Wars Lego's, Polly Pockets, Barbies, Bockogons (sp?), Transformers, and computers. Oh, and kids asked on behalf of their parents for a Bass Boat and cars. My response is, "If I can get it down the chimney, you've got a chance."

The photo is of the uncompleted set in NY for FOX & FRIENDS, and my chair.

Well, another day awaits. Keep me in your prayers.

Santa

Ah New York, it has missed me!

Hello everyone!

I was picked up at the hotel promptly at 7:15am on Friday to head up to NY for FOX & FRIENDS on Saturday morning. We arrived at about noon to get ready. Bass Pro Shops had people there from Harrisburg, PA; Springfield, MO; and New York, NY to set up and take down the set. I am not allowed to help because I am the "Talent."

So after hanging out for awhile and having lunch with the Harrisburg crew, I thought it would be a good time for me to take a walk. I did the basic walking tour of Time Square and the general surroundings. Santa really likes to people watch - you know, put the people with the names on the lists. Let Santa tell it to you this way, on a normal Friday afternoon Time Square is like swarming ants. But toss in a Ticker Tape Parade for the Yankees and you have pure chaos in the ant colony! There were sooo many people, it is really hard to describe.

After my walk I was told I could head to the hotel (which was 10 blocks away). The room was nice, but there was construction going on two floors below, so it was not very restful. Despite the lack of sleep, I was up and ready for my walk back to the set at 5:00am, and I had to be ready to go on at 6:30am. Not to disappoint, the "Talent" was ready and waiting his call. I stayed in the green room until the children (6) arrived and then I slipped into the tent and we were "off to the races."

I had two great 5-6 year olds on my lap for quite awhile and they did really well. One of the girls during a break leaned back into Santa and said, "You're warm and soft, and I'm sleepy." Shortly after that, a staff person came and handed out blankets to the kids. (It was only 40 degrees out.)

The three hours went by very fast - mostly due to a condensed set and the great kids. When the kids were not on set they went back to warm up in the green room and I went outside and worked the crowd. There always seems to be people who just hang out at sets!? There was one group of young soccer players who just finished with a studio tour; and, of course, I let them have a picture with Santa. (Much to the Security's dirty looks, I let them inside to take a picture with me on the Set...You don't mess with Santa.)

The crew from Bass Pro was fast with the take down of the set. They had it apart and loaded on the truck in 2 hours and we headed on our way back 10 minutes later.

Tomorrow we start the real thing boys and girls! From 3pm-8pm Santa will be working his magic.

Have a great night's sleep.

Santa Joe

OK I'm here now, for awhile...

Hello to my loyal readers.


Mrs. Claus and I were off to the airport at 4am on November 5th to catch my 7am flight. The drive went very well, as Mrs. Claus drives very well. After saying goodbye, I headed off to catch my flight to Harrisburg with a plane change in Philly. The flight was so smooth from MSP to Philly that even Santa caught a nap (which I never do on a plane) for the first time. After a great ride on that lovely jet, I switched to an 80-seat turbo propped plane (if you can call it that). I knew it would be fun when the Flight Attendant advised us that due to turbulence, she would not be getting out of her 4-point seat belt seat. I would guess it was a flight somewhere between a Roller Coaster ride and a Giggler. Let me put it this way. I did not sleep on that flight, and the flight crew did not even tell us they were going to land. We just appeared on the runway with a THUD!


After collecting my bags, I was picked up by Bobby from Bass Pro and brought to the hotel I'm staying at for the next 50 days. The hotel is brand new and within walking distance of Bass Pro. I was surprised that my room is decorated in a 60's retro look, from the lights to the furniture. But I am sure it will be just fine for the time I am here.


I did some unpacking and walked over to Bass Pro in the rain. The people at Bass Pro were very glad to see me and made me feel welcome. I then went to see the new Santa's Wonderland. WOW! did it get bigger. They are going to make their own fudge, bake cookies, roast nuts, and pop popcorn ALL within 20 feet of Santa. I think they are trying to kill Santa with all those wonderful baking smells. Plus they have a new race track for the kids to use, a train set, and a whole bunch of free things for the kids to do.


Tomorrow morning I'm going to be picked up at 7:15am to head for the Fox studios in New York. On Saturday morning (November 7th) I will be on Fox & Friends for their 3-hour show. I think it will be alot like last year, but with the additional new fun things for the kids to play with. I will try to take some pictures and post them for you, if possible.


Now I really have to head to bed as Santa needs his beauty sleep. I will blog again after I get back from New York.


Santa Joe

Santa returns to Harrisburg, but first....

I think the title kind of says it all. Read below and I think you will agree. Where to begin?


Last Wednesday I received a call from NBC TV asking my permission to pitch a story on me to their producers. They said they read my blog, and the newspaper article written about me in the local paper after last Christmas. Well, being a true "Talent" I said sure. To be honest, I never expected them to call back saying yes. But early the next morning, they called saying that they were going to be at my house the following Wednesday (November 4th) at 9am.

I was fine with it, as was Mrs. Claus, but I found out she and I had a different level of "FINE." I thought they would just stay in the living room and do their thing...so no need to go on a major cleaning spree. Santa was sooooo wrong! The first thing Mrs. Claus said to me was, "Where are you going to go for the next 3 days?" No joke! Being the well-in-tuned Santa that I am, I asked "Why?" and let me just say it was not the correct word for the time.

I did stay home, but several friends offered to hide me at their homes until the "all clear" was given.


So with the "word" given, I was handed my Honey-do list; and no joke, it was almost as long as the Naughty list. So off we all went to make my clean home a surgical suite the Mayo brothers could work in. We cleaned...moved furniture...cleaned the underside of the Couch - no surface was above cleaning. And did we just stay in the living room? Nope. Next was the dining area...then the kitchen. Now remember, I felt we had a clean nice home, and they would NEVER go in the kitchen. Remember that word - NEVER.


Well 9am came (the day before leaving for Harrisburg) and the "Talent" was in proper Santa attire. Now you have to realize that Santa would not wear his coat and hat in his own house...so I placed them nicely on the couch. The TV Crew came at 9am sharp, I greeted them at the door, and they said, "Let's set up in the kitchen!" Mrs. Claus was no where even close to me and I still felt the BIFF on the back of my head.


The NBC Crew was very nice and polite, and they shot footage in the living room, kitchen, dining area, and with me Skyping on the computer. We talked about how Santas should be protecting themselves from the H1N1 virus, and about my idea of Skyping with sick children over the internet. This idea came to me from all the sick kids out there right now, and a little girl with cancer who came to see me last year wearing a mask but still could not come closer than 10 feet away because her immune system was too low. With Skyping there is NO danger of getting each other sick, and the children will still have quality time with Santa.

The NBC TV crew stayed just over an hour, and told me the story would air later...but no date was set. That afternoon I received a call from them saying that the story would be aired that night during the 10 o'clock news. When they had got back to the station, they decided that the story was so good the producers said it's on tonight unless something big happens.

I quickly called a few people in my Santa posse and let them know the Big Guy would be on and they should make a night of it. So with a full hour of taping Santa, his house (outside), and the street sign at the end of the block (Holly St), they must of had a mile of tape on the floor because it was all condensed to 2 minutes! It was good, but it could have been much better with more of Me in it. They did post a slightly extended version on their Web page at Kare11.com.


Here are a couple of links:


www.kare11.com/news/health/takekare/takekare_article.aspx?storyid=827864


www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=827864&catid=14


The second one listed is the video link. Please allow it to load and the commercial before the "Talent" comes on. Try to contain yourself.


Well off to bed, and more bloging very soon!


Santa Joe