Santa Stories

Santa Stories
by Lisa Hummel

When MODE set out to find Santa Claus, we canvassed the most obvious places in a desperate search for the man in red — the local malls. We expected our findings to be cute, touching, maybe a little humorous. Little did we know that what — who — we found would surpass more than we could ever imagine. We discovered that the men we found were Santa Claus in all the ways that matter, sporting real white beards, weighing in at some 200-300 pounds, carrying Christmas in their hearts. Yes, we discovered that Santa does exist right here in Central PA — especially to Harrisburg East Mall Santa each and every child who sits on his lap.

“I wish you could make my mommy stop crying.”

Ho Ho Ho. Jolly Old Soul. That’s the type of thing you’d expect to hear from Santa, true. But it also became evident that, for some children, Santa is more than a man bearing gifts — he’s a saving grace of sorts. From requests ranging from the mending of all sorts of familial concerns to genuine pleas that he heal diseases that innocent minds may not truly even understand, when interviewing the Santas that have been spotted at local malls, the resounding fact remained that the mere power of believing in Santa for some was enough to convince them the he can make all things “merry and bright.” Which is a tough responsibility to shoulder, even for an experienced elf.

“Requests like that, that’s a really hard thing to handle,” said the Santa MODE cornered at the Harrisburg East Mall. “It’s so hard to deal with because you can’t know what they’re going through, so you just try to make it better as much as you can.”

Much in the same vein, the Santa that we spotted at the Camp Hill Mall deals with these difficult requests by turning the attention to a higher power. “I once had a little girl ask me if I could cure her grandmother’s cancer and I told her that was an act of God …that it’s not in my hands.”

While such requests may not occur as frequently as the request for Pokémon items, they do occur, a fact which our Santas find to be crushing. “With my generation, we never saw that before,” said the Santa that we found at Strawberry Square. “It’s sad.”

I Still Believe…

The fact that that type of unfailing belief is directed toward, of all things, Santa Claus is something that says a lot about his place of the position in a often-negative and disbelieving world such as ours. What is it about the man with the long white beard that makes everyone stop, if for just one second, and place hope in all things good?

According to the Santas we spoke to, whether it is the innocence, the joy, the unfaltering loyalty, or a mix of each, the relationship that exists between Santa Claus and children is a special one — and one that means just as much to Santa as it does to the children.

“The best thing about the kids is that they are very, very honest,” said the Strawberry Square Santa. “They haven’t become adults and learned how to tell little fibs about everything. It’s amazing.”

Amazing, yes. But how does it feel to be on the receiving end of such awe? By all accounts, pretty spectacular.

“When they believe … when you realize that you’ve brought that much joy to them, that they believe in the beauty of Christmas …you can’t beat that,” said Harrisburg East Mall’s Santa. “I love my ‘job’.”

Yes, Virginia…

There is a Santa Claus. He exists. And he’s been helming his position for years … and years … and years. And with those years of experience come years of warding off parents who are eager for both pictures and a sneak-listen to that ever-secret wish list.

So, does Santa have any suggestions? Plenty. Especially for those with screamers and squirmers.

“If they seem to be a little nervous, don’t push them into it,” said the Strawberry Square Santa. “They’ll eventually come up if they want to. A lot of the kids eventually come running right up to you.”

“The parents get a little impatient sometimes,” the Santa from Harrisburg East Mall agrees. “If the kids aren’t ready, bring them and let them get used to me. I don’t want to terrify them.”

And while the natural crying reaction is one that some parents don’t mind, the Santas are quick to stress the point that visiting Santa is for the benefit — and not he detriment — of the child.

Ultimately, parents must keep in mind that going to see Santa shouldn’t “be emotionally scarring,” said the Harrisburg East Mall Santa. Instead, it should be a memorable event.

In the hotseat…

Santa has heard it all. From odd requests to heartfelt requests to some memorable guests on his red-covered lap. He’s had his share of ‘memorable events.’

“I had a man who came in and had me hold an ‘Alf’ doll in each arm … and wanted five pictures … all to show his nephew that Santa Claus is for real.”

Real he is … and not past smirking at a few requests. “I had one little boy ask for deodorant,” laughed the Harrisburg East Mall Santa, “I wasn’t going to ask any questions.” But on a more sentimental note, he added, “five girls got proposed to while sitting on my lap last year — in fact, the last person I talked to last year got proposed to.”

Dear Santa…

So, there you have it. Santa exists. While he’s not all that easy to track down (he is a busy guy during the Christmas season), he’s jolly, he’s personable, and he’s as flesh and bone as anyone you’d pass on the street … with the added bonus of being the bearer of Christmas joy, of course.

But more than a red suit, black boots, and a throaty laugh, he symbolizes Christmas on a larger scale. For if one thing was learned during the mall-wide Santa hunt it was that on the topic of true holiday spirit, expensive gifts and ornate wrappings are the least important. It’s about the sharing of that certain euphoria that comes but once a year — the euphoria that makes it okay to smile more, laugh harder, take more time to enjoy your surroundings, and, when all else fails, to at least hold back the urge to say “bah, humbug!”

Sure, Santa Claus is best known for his chimney routine, but he also serves as a reminder that all is not lost in the world. And that, for one day a year, we can all take the time to be a kid.