I think what's so endearing about Santa is that he's really the embodiment of the
Christmas spirit. My name is Jeff McMullen, also known as Santa Mac.
I bring a somewhat of a unique skill set because of my family entertainment background to the Santa community.
I wake up now kind of like Santa and it's a continuum, the better Santa I become, the better person I become, and likewise.
In 23 I was inducted into the international Santa class Hall of Fame.
I'm the first and only from Wisconsin, which really touched my heart because we've got some awesome, I mean incredible,
Santa's, and Mrs. Claus's throughout Wisconsin.
When you first put on the red suit you go, oh, okay, and this is kind of fun and then somebody calls you Santa and quite often that's where people's development stops.
But there's so much more.
Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas.
Santa's coming, Santa's coming, oh, oh, oh.
Merry, Merry Christmas.
Alright, let's stay here.
Now we're gonna, we're gonna fandow.
Kringle U is a training company and we do both online training as well as face-to-face training.
Santa, what are you doing? I'm going bowling. You're going bowling.
Cool.
And we have about 20, 25 students that come in from around the country to study for the three days.
You have to have fun being Santa. How can you not? Being in a jolly old elf that's 1,745 years old, this is a great thing to be.
Whether you're a first-year Santa or your 50-year veteran, the information is right to the point of what you need.
Well, the perfect Santa laugh. That's different for everyone.
Some people have that real deep, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Mine is more just a, oh, just kind of a chuckle.
You know, it's how do you react when something unusual happens?
There's always funny that that happens.
I was doing a work for a business, kind of a tractor supply store.
I was expecting to work with children. And the whole community, they brought chickens and pigs and horses and dogs.
It was the quintessential Wisconsin experience.
I've got probably about seven pages of notes ready to be Santa, even better for the people down in my area.
The main thing that I received from it is how to develop my character further.
Do the little magic, a little hook is focused, and I can change that into something different.
It can be as simple as how to hold the book and turn the pages so that the children can see when they shout it and call them all by name.
Don't roll your eyes. Even though sometimes there are parents that are quite difficult to work with, I'll be honest.
I wish there were two lines when I work an event, a children's line in an adult line. It would make my role much easier.
His experience with Ringling Brothers Barnum Bailey Circus and just enjoying his company has been great over the years.
If you're not a good person, it comes out.
Jeff isn't the epitome of being a good person.
When you look in the mirror before you leave your physical home to go out into the community, if you look in the mirror and you see yourself in a Santa suit, you're not there.
You've got to look in the mirror and go, oh my goodness, they're Santa.
Oh my goodness, yes you are Santa. It really comes down to if I want others to believe that I'm Santa, I have to believe I'm Santa myself first.
Thank you.