Judith Broderick and her husband, Bill Wilson, got their start as Mrs. Claus and Santa Claus, respectively, when one day, at a store, a lively little boy knocked over a display. Broderick recalled that the boy’s mother scolded him before pointing at her husband and saying, “Santa is watching you.”
After this incident, the couple traveled to Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Midland, Michigan, so her husband could become a professionally trained Santa.
Broderick said she initially only served as moral support, but soon, she was called “Mrs. C.” by children at her husband’s Christmas events.
Then, the couple was invited to work an event together as Santa and Mrs. Claus.
“There were two little boys who came up to me and said, ‘Can you please put our brother on the naughty list?’” Broderick said. “And I turned to the other little boy and said, ‘Well, what did you do to get on the naughty list?’ And they said, ‘It’s not us. It’s our older brother. He’s beating up our mom.’”
Broderick added that she then spent time communicating with the children’s deaf mother with the little sign language she knew at the time to help the son get the therapeutic help he needed.
Broderick said at that moment, she officially decided that she was going to become a Mrs. Claus. Broderick said she aims to act as a grandmother figure in the role of Mrs. Claus, bridging the gap between any child or adult and Santa so everyone can enjoy the holiday activities.
Now, Broderick teaches health seminars on topics including working with children with autism at North Pole Cornerstones and her Santa school, Santa Nana’s Holiday University. Both were made in honor of Lynn “Lucky” Royse, or Santa Nana — an International Santa Claus Hall of Fame member who took the role of Santa’s sister.
Booking season for the Clauses begins in the middle of November and ends toward the end of Winter Break, Santa Irwin Dammers said.
He said the warmth he feels each season as Santa Claus encourages him to work every winter, whether he’s working with children or nursing home residents.
“There’s been a couple of occasions where they say, ‘Oh, well, mom’s not really going to respond. She doesn’t respond to really anything,’” Dammers said. “And I walk into the room and she’s like, ‘Santa Claus!’ and she’s actually responsive to that.”
Santa John Sullivan got his start as a mall Santa at Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles, Illinois. He was in charge of the photography booth, but when Santa didn’t show up, he put on the costume.
In the 35 years since then, Sullivan said he has worked every type of Santa event, from hospitals to flying into a Christmas party on a helicopter. He is also the creator of Santa in Chicago, a website to help individuals find Santa Clauses in the Chicago and Northern Illinois area.
Sullivan echoed Dammers’ sentiment and said the warmth young children bring during the holiday season motivates him to continue playing Santa.
“They are the true believers,” Sullivan said. “They want to believe in Santa, and they’re young enough they don’t have any questions about the sleigh flying through the sky. Life is much different at that age.”
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