THE SANTA BIZ
Jolly gents reveal how they channel Saint Nick’s spirit — and how much dough they haul in
SANTA is one of the jolliest men on the planet — but portraying him during the holidays doesn’t always bring Christmas cheer.
“I [have] had a supermodel break wind on my lap and Dolly Parton pinch my backside one Christmas Eve,” threetime Macy’s Santa Glen Heroy, a 54-yearold Manhattanite, tells The Post.
Welcome to the business of being Santa Claus, where drug testing, background checks, insurance policies, thousand-dollar outfits, beauty-salon visits, and staying in character when peed, pooped and thrown up on are all part of a day’s work. But for modern-day professional Santa Clauses, the payoff — both financially and emotionally — can be great.
Tim Connaghan, 69, has worked part time as a Santa since 1995, in addition to running RealSantas.com, the largest booking agency for real-bearded Santas. The Kings Park, LI, resident says, “$10,000 to $12,000 in a four- to six-week season is pretty decent money. If [Santas] work beyond the season or do commercial or print work, it can be a lot more.”
As for the six-figure Santas whispered about among the bearded brotherhood, Connaghan says, “There are probably five or six guys out there making $100,000. They are working at places like Radio City Music Hall, Las Vegas and Cartier. Those guys are in a league of their own.”
Many Santas are retirees, who get into the red-suit game after leaving their 9-to-5 jobs.
“Being Santa is the best retirement plan I could have hoped for. It allows me to supplement my Social Security and pay the bills,” says Cliff Snider, 69, of High Point, NC, who’s earned the distinction of being “the most recognized Santa Claus in America.” He now works year-round, lending his likeness to oil paintings, fineart photographs and manufactured licensed gifts.
To cover just one week of appearances this season, Connaghan booked 700 Santas for 2,600 venues across the country through RealSantas.com. So with all these retirees clamoring for Santa gigs, what can a guy do to gain an edge?
For some, it all comes down to the wardrobe.
“I have seven different Santa suits, ranging from one with Swarovski crystals to another with embroidered holly leaves to a patriotic one created after 9/11,” Snider says. He spends an average of $1,000 per outfit.
Snider is also blessed with a natural beard, on which he spends about $300 a year for bleaching and maintenance. An artificial beard can cost anywhere from $300 to $6,000.
And while department stores can offer on-the-job training, some Santas turn to schools, shelling out $260 to $500 for twoor three-day training sessions.
Training offered at the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School — established in 1937 by a former Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa — includes proper dress and use of makeup, the newest toys and gadgets on kids’ wish lists, basic sign language, and even workout exercises to keep limber without losing that bowl-full-o’-jelly appeal.
Meanwhile, the International University of Santa Claus, aka School 4 S ant as, founded by Connaghan, boasts more than 3,300 graduates and issues diplomas rang- ing from an associate of SantaClausology all the way up to a doctorate.
But for some, personifying St. Nick is more of a calling than a profession. At the age of 15, Snider suffered the loss of his father, uncle and two cousins in a tragic car accident.
Soon after, when he was “the fattest kid in Sunday school,” he was asked to dress up as Santa and visit some underprivileged children. “God tapped me on the shoulder that day and said, ‘By bringing joy to these kids, I’m going to heal your broken heart,’ and he did.”
Connaghan agrees that being Santa isn’t about the cash.
“It’s not the money, having the real beard or even fitting in the suit — it’s what’s in your heart,” he says. “Once you put on that red suit and those kids see you and love you and you get that Santa Claus rush, you’ll want to do it again and again.”