We all used to believe that men on the streets and in the mall who dress as Santa Claus were all random people looking to make a quick buck. However, that is not the case as these men with their awesome, genuine white beards, attended the Santa University.
Yes, there is a University out there for men wanting to become Santa during the Christmas season. Malls everywhere in the United States want the best of the best to perform as jolly Mr. St. Nick, so why go for a random guy when these mall owners can get a bunch of old men who actually went to a University to train in the ancient arts of reindeer flying and gift giving.
You see, there is much more to Santa Claus than the impressive beard and plump belly, and many folks have no idea about this. It's one of the reasons why these guys visit the Santa University classes.
The company at the moment that supplies the most Santa's per year is called Noerr Programs Corp. The company provides more than 400 Santa Claus actors to nearly 300 shopping centers and malls across the country. It's a big business this Santa thing, and it only happens a certain time of the year.
We understand that each Santa actor must take part in the annual Santa University training to keep their minds fresh in the game. Some of them are even taught sign language for the purpose of communicating with children who are mute.
"Each summer we hold a 'Santa University.' It's a four-day intensive training session, and we cover every single aspect you can think of when it comes to being the consummate Santa," said Ruth Rosenquist, public-relations director for the Noerr Programs and self-proclaimed Santa Wrangler. "We hold it in Arvada, Colorado, at the Noerr Pole, which is what we call our headquarters. We get about 70 Santas attending every year."
The next time you walk into a mall and see a man dressed as Santa Claus, just remember that it's his part time profession and that he was trained to be what he is.
