For most people, Christmas and Santa Claus come around once a year, but for Orleans County resident Ken McPherson it is a year-round venture. "The holiday spirit of loving and giving should be in our hearts the whole year," he said. The first time McPherson was asked to be Santa, he thought it would be a one-time thing. "But when I saw the kids' eyes light up when they sat on Santa's lap, I was inspired." It was more than 20 years ago when McPherson took his first foray into the land of sugar plums, rosy cheeks and reindeer. When he was a junior in high school and most kids his age were playing sports, partying with friends or going out on dates, McPherson was making merry with elves, toy soldiers and children eager to share their holiday wish lists. "Once I put on that Santa suit for the first time, I was hooked," he said. "Now I attend Santa School every year." From a high school student who played Santa for a bunch of children to an adult who spends a week every year re-learning the mystery of Santa, McPherson embraces the spirit of Old Saint Nick. Inspiration According to the Congressional Record, dated June 1, 1966, Howard, who worked on the road as a toy salesman, "frowned on the unkempt costumes and lack of child psychology displayed by many department store Santas." He decided to open his own Santa Claus School. The school remained in Orleans County until 1974 when Howard's friends, Nate and Mary Ida Doan, moved the school to Bay City, Michigan where Tom and Holly Valent took over the operation. The school is now located in Midland, Michigan. A history of the Santa Claus School and Christmas Park Family friend and Orleans County Historian C. W. Lattin said that Howard was the epitome of Santa Claus. "He lived and breathed Santa. It was his whole attitude," Lattin said. Howard was remembered as a man who took pleasure in delighting children and to putting his whole heart and soul into everything he did. Howard, who died in 1966, ran the school that trained would-be Santas from around the world on his 400-acre farm in Orleans County. His Santa classes dealt with psychology, costuming, make-up, whisker grooming, voice modulation, the history and legend of St. Nicholas and learning the correct way to "ho-ho-ho." Howard believed you couldn't be a proper Santa unless you knew the history of the character you were portraying. Howard was considered the country's "Number 1 Santa," and for many years he was in the Macy's Parade in New York City and his school was featured in national magazines. Learning to be Santa McPherson first attended the Santa School in 1982. When students converge on the Michigan school, they spend three days learning Santa history, how Santa is portrayed in other cultures, how to apply Santa makeup and how to tell stories. It's not all work though, as they spend a lot of time singing and dancing, too. "We learned the do's and don'ts of Santa Claus-ing, and a lot of customs and traditions that take place worldwide," McPherson, who has obtained a bachelor's degree in Santa Clausing, said. He flies a Santa flag in his front yard, year round, and his house is a virtual shrine to the jolly old elf, from the Santa welcome plaque to the china cabinet filled with collectibles to the reindeer horns, posters, paintings and figurines that line his walls. "I can't let the Santa dream die. I collect everything and anything relating to the Santa school. It will never be set aside or forgotten," McPherson said. "I even sing Christmas carols in the summer." Being able to be Santa is a privilege, he said. "You bring so much joy into the life of a child, even if only for a few moments," he explained. "They sit on your lap and read you their list. How can you not be caught up in the magic of Christmas when a kid looks at you with those bright and hopeful eyes?" McPherson makes close to 100 visits as Santa each year. He also loans out his extensive collection during holiday times, making it possible for everyone to experience the joy he is able to witness every day of the year by simply looking at all of his Santa and Christmas memorabilia. McPherson's two children have questioned his vocation on occasion but were able to keep it to themselves when they found out that it was top secret that their father was giving Santa a hand at his busiest time of the year. "Kids today know there is more than one Santa and that he has a lot of helpers," McPherson said. "The wonderment of the season comes from them wanting to believe in the magic of Santa, whether they still actually believe in the actual man. They believe in something that will stay with them forever - the thought of Santa." McPherson believes he has devoted himself to a very worthwhile cause, "representing the true spirit of Christmas - the loving and giving spirit." |
