SANTA SUPPER
New England Santa Society’s monthly event brought the North Pole to Connecticut
Despite Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus being known for liking cookies and milk, a group of jolly folks sporting red clothes and long white beards recently got together to feast on juicy burgers, quesadillas and pasta.
Members of the New England Santa Society held their monthly Connecticut Santa Supper on Dec. 13 at the Wood-n-Tap restaurant in Southington. The nonprofit organization, based in Manchester, New Hampshire, was founded in 2012 to help professional Christmas performers in the New England area build their skills and make connections. The supper event aimed to help actors socialize with others in the industry and forge lifelong friendships. In addition to Connecticut, suppers are held by members regularly in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
“We all love doing it to help the children. But we also love coming every month. Socializing with your fellow Santas and Mrs. Clauses is wonderful. That was an unexpected benefit to this,” said Alexander Dembski, a Santa Claus from Bethany.
Each summer, the society also hosts a Santa Camp in New Hampshire to teach aspiring Christmas actors things like performance techniques, how to create and personalize their characters, and how to market themselves. Over the course of one weekend, Christmas performers, fully decked out in their holiday garb, attend workshops and learn from each other. A documentary, titled “Santa Camp,” was made about the location and released on HBO Max in 2022. According to Danbury resident and former New England Santa Society
president Nick Gillotte, there were about 90 people, mostly from New England, attending camp this year.
“It’s very, very immersive . ... When we’re at camp, there’s no TV. The whole weekend is all about Christmas,” Gillotte said.
The society can also help transform those without naturally long white beards into the spitting image of Old St. Nick. Gillotte bleached his hair white before dawning the mantle, and some other Santa Clauses even wear fake facial hair.
“We have ways to show you how you can do it with a designer beard that looks just as real as any of ours,” Gillotte said.
Beyond just traditional jobs at malls and parties, some members have made it onto other platforms. During the supper, Gillotte opened up the pages of a new gold-trimmed collector’s edition of “The Night Before Christmas” to show artwork of Santa Claus that was based on him. The artwork features scenes like Santa Claus touching his nose with a sparkling finger and carrying a sack of toys. Gillotte said he made over 60 poses for the book, some of which were turned into illustrations by artist and Norwalk resident, Dennis Lyall.
For members of the organization, the role of Santa Claus goes beyond just being a “man in a red suit.” They aim to create memorable experiences for all those they interact with, no matter their age or gender. Gillotte said that during the first few moments he meets someone, he tries to make a connection with them and see what their interests might be.
“I see what they’re wearing, what they have in their backpack, or what they have on their sneakers. I try to make a connection right there. The majority of girls are talking about Barbie . ... Little boys are usually pretty easy; they are happy to talk about cars and trucks. Every group likes Legos,” Gillotte said.
To help reward kind children, Jeff Gedney, a Santa Claus from Trumbull who wears a hat with gold trim and red overalls, carries with him small bells and wooden nickles that he occasionally gives out. He recalled a time he gave a bell to a 6-year-old girl who made him crayon drawings of a Christmas tree and a Santa.
“She was dancing, laughing and crying at the same time, she gave me the most amazing work. It was the most special moment. I tried to recreate those kinds of moments with the kids every time,” Gedney said.
A Santa Claus must also be able to comfort those who make requests that they can’t deliver, Alexander Dembski explained.
“I’ve had children say, ‘My grandfather died last month, can you give them back to me for Christmas?’ How do you answer things like that? I’ve had that question many times; a lot of us have,” Alexander Dembski said.
The New England Santa Society isn’t just for those wanting to play Old St. Nick. Some members play elves or Santa’s wife, Mrs. Claus. For around nine years, Anne Dembski, has worn red and green outfits and worked with her husband, Alexander, to spread Christmas cheer. The couple said that years before becoming the characters, people in public would sometimes believe they were
already a Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus act, so eventually they decided to give it a try.
“I sort of work as Santa’s frontman, my Santa is a very gentle soul. He’s a very quiet soul, he’s never going to break into a room going ‘ra.’ So that’s kind of my job, to get them excited,” Anne Dembski said. “It’s just been an amazing journey. I never in a million years would have ever thought of myself as doing something like this.”
Cheshire resident Cindy Lopez, who works as a solo Mrs. Claus act, recently joined the New England Santa Society.
She said that there are some settings in which Mrs. Claus might be more appropriate than a traditional Santa Claus, such as women’s shelters and womenowned businesses.
“I’m interested in Mrs. Claus as a modern feminist icon,” Lopez said. “I think there’s a real opportunity for Mrs. Claus to carve out her own space in the holiday pantheon . ... I’m looking forward to learning from Mrs. Clauses with more experience than me and maybe attending Santa school next year, and continuing to network and grow the character and grow the community.”