Magic happens at School of Santas in Branson
by Jim McCarty | jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop
Dear Editor, I am 8 years old. Some of my friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says if you see it in The Sun it is so. Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? — Virginia O’Hanlon, in a letter to the editor of The New York Sun
Well Virginia, there isn’t just a Santa Claus. There are thousands of them, all devoted to spreading joy in the world. If you want proof, travel to Branson in July where they gather by the hundreds at the annual School of Santas. The school was launched eight years ago by a Springfield Santa named Spangle, who is so into making people smile that he had his name legally changed.
“It’s not as unusual as you think, because there’s probably a Santa school going on every week in the United States between the end of January all the way up through October,” says Spangle. “A lot of people tell us our school is different than other Santa schools. It makes you feel like you’re in a family.”
The 120 or so real-bearded wonders say there’s snow place like Branson to visit in the summer when the elves have everything under control at the North Pole. So, this jolly bunch shows up at the AmericInn wearing festive shirts, shorts and sandals.
If the kids get confused by seeing so many Jolly Old Elves in one spot, Spangle has a logical answer: “We tell them that it’s a Santa family reunion. It’s the Claus family reunion. And, you know, we all look kind of alike because we’re family. The real Santa is here, but it’s up to you to decide which one that is.”
The Santa students know they are in the right place when they spot the ‘sleighs’ in the parking lot, festooned with antlers, candy canes and wreaths. Inside the hotel lobby is an actual sleigh, pulled by a reindeer. As the Santas register, it’s filling up with warm hats, gloves and socks that will brighten the eyes of children — and warm the heart of one Missouri Santa.
It’s all part of Warm Santa’s Heart by Warming a Child’s Hands sponsored by Spangle. As Christmas draws near, he will pull his long trailer into small towns in southern Missouri and invite families inside to meet Santa. They will leave with a donated Christmas book, warm gloves, hats and scarves. There’s no charge because he knows this might be the only Christmas gifts many will receive.
This ‘Santa cause’ is typical of the work done by the Clauses who attend the school. They are here to learn new ways to bring magic to the season. “These are your top-tier Santas,” says Spangle. “You’ve got that child who might be on the fence about Santa. Well, these Santas are going to make that child believe again. You didn’t just go down and get your picture taken. You experienced Christmas.”
These aren’t the Clauses who rent suits and sit in a chair. They are performance artists devoted to bringing the North Pole to life, down to the fur on their robes and their wide leather belts with buckles that share the message “Believe.” Save for the beards and bellies, they are unique. There’s Cajun Santas who prefer crawfish to cookies, Texas Santas who pull their sleigh with longhorns, Celtic Santas in kilts, Old World Santas and modern Santas who check their naughty and nice lists with iPads.
They wear $3,000 robes and can’t help punctuating their conversations with deep belly laughs. At any given moment the group might join in a loud response to “Give me a ho! Give me a ho-ho. Give me a ho-ho-ho!” — just be-Claus.
Santa Roy Poe, who lives at the North Pole but keeps a suburban Kansas City home, attended for the first time. “I loved it,” he says of the experience. “We’ll probably come back next year. Even though I’ve been doing this 15 years, I love getting little tips — snowflakes, if you will. We share different things. There’s over 2,000 years of experience here.”
Icicle-melting stories abound as these Masters of Mistletoe share their reasons for the season. “We do it for the kids,” Santa Roy adds. “I had one parent come up to me and say, ‘My child is autistic. He doesn’t like contact. He won’t come within 10 to 15 feet of you so don’t expect much.’ Twenty minutes later he sees me and latches on to my arm. He starts petting my fur coat. He didn’t let go for another 20 minutes. Your heart just melts.”
Santa Dewey Bentley, whose second home is in Virginia, was also a first-timer at the school. One of his goals was to get a new publicity photo taken. But he flew to the conference and didn’t have room in his luggage for his red suit. “That was no problem because Spangle loaned me one,” he says.
Dewey got his Santa start when he was asked to portray the Big Man for childhood cancer patients. “A little girl ran up to me and said, ‘Santa! I love you!’ I’ve been doing this ever since,” he says.
Rob Wood, who jingles for veterans at the VA hospital in Joplin, tells a similar story involving a Santa visit with adult patients. “One thing that blew me away is the adults at Christmas and all of the fun they had,” he says. “I didn’t know there was a whole community of Santas.”
As the group registers and gets their name tags — Name: Santa. Location: North Pole — they browse the wares on display by numerous Santa suppliers. They shop for new suits, Christmas cards, toys and wardrobe additions.
Amidst the sea of green and red a friendly banter strikes up. The men discuss the merits of the Grinch: “Sure he was bad at first, but he changed.” The ladies cluster around a booth selling natural makeup and share tips for keeping their eyelashes curled.
Speakers at the school — ‘season-ed’ veterans with plenty of holiday spirit — discuss the latest tips for reaching children and their parents. During the school the instructors encourage using all of the tools available from other disciplines to become performance Santas. This might include using magic, dance, music and acting to make their portrayals unique.
They also stress the value of having Mrs. Claus along. Often taken for granted, the Mrs. adds great value to a holiday visit, getting the kids over their initial nervous response to a bearded, red-suited man full of joy.
Built into the program are evening milk-and-cookie breaks of course. Dieting is not something that concerns this crowd. Because this is Branson, they attend a music show together. Not surprisingly, they become part of the act. There’s also an unofficial parade of decorated cars down 76 Country Music Boulevard, much to the delight of vacationers.
As the week draws to a close, the one exception to the real bearded Santas at the event calls the couples attending to the stage. Santa Mel — a rare lady Santa whose transformation into a magnificent green-suited Kris Kringle is a sight to behold — leads them in renewing their vows. Russell Hurd, the Celtic Claus, accompanies her on his bagpipe. It’s a heartfelt moment for those taking part.
But the real showstopper comes on Sunday when their host receives an honor befitting his obsession with Christmas. On the final day, Spangle was inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame. It’s a fitting tribute to a man on a mission to spread Christmas joy to children of all ages.
You can learn more about the School of Santas and other holiday activities from Spangle at onthegonorthpole.com. The next school is set for July 16-19.