1 00:00:01,301 --> 00:00:02,569 [bright Christmas music] 2 00:00:02,636 --> 00:00:04,638 - Jeff McMullen: I think what's so endearing about Santa 3 00:00:04,705 --> 00:00:06,540 is that he's really the embodiment 4 00:00:06,607 --> 00:00:08,942 of the Christmas spirit. 5 00:00:10,677 --> 00:00:15,249 My name is Jeff McMullen, also known as Santa Mac. 6 00:00:16,583 --> 00:00:19,152 [playful Christmas music] 7 00:00:27,961 --> 00:00:29,696 I bring a somewhat of a unique skill set 8 00:00:29,763 --> 00:00:31,732 because of my family entertainment background 9 00:00:31,798 --> 00:00:33,667 to the Santa community. 10 00:00:33,734 --> 00:00:36,737 I wake up now kind of like Santa, and it's a continuum. 11 00:00:36,803 --> 00:00:37,905 The better Santa I become, 12 00:00:37,971 --> 00:00:41,875 the better person I become, and likewise. 13 00:00:42,776 --> 00:00:43,911 In '23, I was inducted 14 00:00:43,977 --> 00:00:46,914 into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame. 15 00:00:46,980 --> 00:00:48,982 I'm the first and only from Wisconsin, 16 00:00:49,049 --> 00:00:52,252 which really touched my heart because we've got some awesome, 17 00:00:52,319 --> 00:00:54,821 I mean incredible Santas 18 00:00:54,888 --> 00:00:58,692 and Mrs. Clauses throughout Wisconsin. 19 00:01:00,527 --> 00:01:02,462 When you first put on the red suit, you go, 20 00:01:02,529 --> 00:01:04,531 "Oh, okay, and this is kind of fun," 21 00:01:04,598 --> 00:01:05,899 and then somebody calls you Santa, 22 00:01:05,966 --> 00:01:08,969 and quite often, that's where people's development stops. 23 00:01:09,036 --> 00:01:10,737 But there's so much more. 24 00:01:10,804 --> 00:01:14,441 ? Merry, a very merry merry Christmas ? 25 00:01:14,508 --> 00:01:16,109 ? Santa's coming soon ? 26 00:01:16,176 --> 00:01:19,012 ? Soon Santa's coming, ho ho ho ? 27 00:01:21,081 --> 00:01:23,684 ? Merry, Merry Christmas ? 28 00:01:23,750 --> 00:01:25,085 - Jeff: All right, let's stay here. 29 00:01:25,152 --> 00:01:27,621 Now we're gonna, we're gonna bend down. 30 00:01:27,688 --> 00:01:33,427 Kringle U is a training company, and we do both online training 31 00:01:33,493 --> 00:01:35,529 as well as face-to-face training. 32 00:01:35,596 --> 00:01:38,465 - Santa, what are you doing? - I'm going bowling. 33 00:01:38,532 --> 00:01:39,633 - You're going bowling? 34 00:01:39,700 --> 00:01:41,368 Cool. 35 00:01:43,704 --> 00:01:45,739 - Jeff: And we have about 20, 25 students 36 00:01:45,806 --> 00:01:48,008 that come in from around the country 37 00:01:48,075 --> 00:01:49,843 to study for the three days. 38 00:01:49,910 --> 00:01:51,512 - You have to have fun being Santa. 39 00:01:51,578 --> 00:01:52,946 How can you not? 40 00:01:53,013 --> 00:01:57,651 Being the jolly old elf that's 1,745 years old, 41 00:01:57,718 --> 00:01:59,853 this is a great thing to be. 42 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:01,522 - Whether you're a first-year Santa 43 00:02:01,588 --> 00:02:04,157 or you're 50-year veteran, 44 00:02:05,058 --> 00:02:08,428 the information is right to the point of what you need. 45 00:02:08,495 --> 00:02:10,364 - Well, the perfect Santa laugh. 46 00:02:10,430 --> 00:02:12,266 That's different for everyone. 47 00:02:12,332 --> 00:02:16,003 Some people have that real deep, "Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho." 48 00:02:16,069 --> 00:02:19,873 Mine is more just a, "Ho, ho" just kind of a chuckle. 49 00:02:19,940 --> 00:02:22,109 [laughs] [jingle bells] 50 00:02:22,176 --> 00:02:23,944 - You know, it's how do you react 51 00:02:24,011 --> 00:02:25,679 when something unusual happens? 52 00:02:25,746 --> 00:02:28,048 - There's always funny that happens. 53 00:02:28,115 --> 00:02:33,187 I was doing work for a business, kind of a tractor supply store. 54 00:02:33,253 --> 00:02:35,722 I was expecting to work with children. 55 00:02:35,789 --> 00:02:36,990 And the whole community, 56 00:02:37,057 --> 00:02:41,128 they brought chickens and pigs and horses and dogs. 57 00:02:41,195 --> 00:02:46,767 It was the quintessential Wisconsin experience. [laughs] 58 00:02:47,434 --> 00:02:50,404 - I've got probably about seven pages of notes, 59 00:02:50,470 --> 00:02:54,708 ready to be Santa even better for the people down in my area. 60 00:02:54,775 --> 00:02:57,377 - The main thing that I received from it 61 00:02:57,444 --> 00:03:00,047 is how to develop my character further. 62 00:03:00,113 --> 00:03:02,716 - Jeff: Do the little magic, a little hocus-pocus, 63 00:03:02,783 --> 00:03:05,252 and I can change that into something different. 64 00:03:05,319 --> 00:03:08,355 It can be as simple as how to hold the book 65 00:03:08,422 --> 00:03:10,991 and turn the pages so that the children can see. 66 00:03:11,058 --> 00:03:15,028 When he shouted and called them all by name. 67 00:03:15,095 --> 00:03:17,097 Don't roll your eyes. 68 00:03:17,831 --> 00:03:20,100 Even though sometimes there are parents 69 00:03:20,167 --> 00:03:23,871 that are quite difficult to work with, I'll be honest. 70 00:03:23,937 --> 00:03:26,373 I wish there were two lines when I work an event, 71 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:28,141 a children's line and an adult line. 72 00:03:28,208 --> 00:03:31,345 It would make my role much easier. 73 00:03:32,346 --> 00:03:34,014 [bright music] 74 00:03:37,784 --> 00:03:39,219 - His experience with Ringling Brothers 75 00:03:39,286 --> 00:03:40,654 and Barnum and Bailey Circus 76 00:03:40,721 --> 00:03:44,892 and just enjoying his company has been great over the years. 77 00:03:44,958 --> 00:03:47,661 - If you're not a good person, it comes out. 78 00:03:47,728 --> 00:03:51,632 Jeff is the epitome of being a good person. 79 00:03:55,736 --> 00:03:57,070 - When you look in the mirror 80 00:03:57,137 --> 00:03:58,939 before you leave your physical home 81 00:03:59,006 --> 00:04:01,475 to go out into the community, if you look in the mirror 82 00:04:01,542 --> 00:04:05,979 and you see yourself in a Santa suit, you're not there. 83 00:04:06,046 --> 00:04:07,781 You've got to look in the mirror and go, 84 00:04:07,848 --> 00:04:08,949 "Oh, my goodness, there's Santa. 85 00:04:09,016 --> 00:04:12,286 [laughs] Oh, my goodness, yes, you are Santa." 86 00:04:12,352 --> 00:04:14,888 It really comes down to if I want others to believe 87 00:04:14,955 --> 00:04:20,194 that I'm Santa, I have to believe I'm Santa myself first.