Jeff Edelstein: Just a few words with THE Santa Claus
Obviously, I never know who’s going to read my words. So when I wrote the following in a Split Decision last week — “When Santa Claus comes to Quakerbridge Mall, well … wow. He’s fantastic. This is an official endorsement. You’re getting Santa at his absolute best at Quakerbridge” — I never thought those words would get back to him.
But they did. I received word from mall manage- er, I mean I received word from Santa’s elves that Santa was happy to have seen his name in print.
I was happy that he was happy, and so — despite this being his busiest time of the year — I asked if I could steal a few moments of his time for an interview. He agreed, and what follows is the abridged version.
ME: Any memorable moments here at Quakerbridge?
SANTA: As Santa Claus, you’re going to get many. Good, bad, and all. Just about two weeks ago, a little boy with mommy and daddy came in, and they put their child in my arms, and mom said, ‘careful, his head, it’s very tender.’ So I’m holding him, watching the child, and I’m looking in his eyes, and there’s something special. He was non-communicative. So we took the picture, everybody’s happy, I gave the child back. I came to find out a few minutes later that the child is in hospice. This touched me very strongly because here’s a child with a very limited life left and here are the parents, trying to get memories for a lifetime.
ME: Wow. How do you deal with that when you go back to the North Pole at night?
SANTA: Sometimes water comes out the side of Santa’s eye once in a while.
ME: How long have you been visiting Quakerbridge Mall?
SANTA: For 13 years now, and I’m here every day through Christmas Eve from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
ME: It must be interesting, being Santa Claus, seeing all the children.
SANTA: Some children come in happy as can be, others are crying. Sometimes I tell the parents to bring the kids in backwards. That works, usually. I pride myself on putting on a bit of show. They want to see Santa and have a memory, and I give it to them. ME: Hand wash or dry clean? SANTA: Mrs. Claus takes care of the shirts, but everything else goes out to a dry cleaner. Ho-ho-ho!
ME: Do you keep the beard year-round?
SANTA: Yes, but Santa will take a summer vacation. I went to Ocean City last year as a matter of fact.
ME: And if it’s too late and you can’t make it back to the North Pole one night, where do you stay?
SANTA: Lawrenceville is a wonderful area to rest my head if I can’t get home to the North Pole. ME: Hobbies?
SANTA: Sometimes I like to sit down and relax. On some Sundays I do like to watch some sports. Football is one of my favorites.
ME: Favorite team? SANTA: Well I can’t say that because they’re all my favorite, ho-ho-ho! But the one that flies a little bit, a little green and black colors in it, they are one of my enjoyments.
ME: Anything change in the 1,700 years you’ve been doing this?
SANTA: Parents are changing. I watch the parents. Some mothers put their child in my arms, and go stand behind the camera, maybe do peek-a-boo to get a reaction, and when she does that, the child lights up. And I’ll walk back and tell her, I’ll say ‘your child was in my arms, and I could feel the sensation of your child because of what you did.’ It’s a strong connection, and I see it more and more. It makes me happy to see parents putting more time into their children. It makes me feel super.
ME: And advice for us, Santa? SANTA: Holiday season has always been a wonderful time for everybody. I think it lifts all our spirits. It’s a shame it can’t exist a little longer. But when it’s here, it’s a wonderful thing to behold. We need more of it. We’re getting too tight, and the outside world can be mind-boggling. But always remember: Life is enjoyable. Take every moment and enjoy it. That’s what you need, and that’s what will move you forward in a positive direction.
Jeff Edelstein is a columnist for The Trentonian. He can be reached at jedelstein@ trentonian.com, facebook. com/jeffreyedelstein and @ jeffedelstein on Twitter.