Want to know what Santa does in the summertime? And what his favourite cookie is? Who is his favourite reindeer? These were amongst the important questions we asked Burlington’s own Santa, who was very happy to be in the Burlington Santa Claus Parade this year after a couple of years in the Santa Holiday Magic Trail.
But let’s start at the beginning. For Burlington’s Peter Boxall, his Santa journey really starts with his father, Peter Sr., from whom Peter has now taken over most Santa duties. Peter Sr.’s first transformation into Santa happened when another Santa didn’t turn up to a Christmas party in the late 1980s, and Peter Sr. stepped in. Turned out that he enjoyed being Santa, and it evolved from there, became a regular part of the family’s life. Peter Jr. said that he’d never be Santa, thought of it as something only older guys did.
That all changed after Peter Sr. took Peter Jr. to Norway one year, for the International Santa Claus Winter Games.
Yes, you read that correctly. The International Santa Claus Winter Games.
Santas from across the world come together for three days in Savalen, Norway, hosted by the Santa Guild of Norway, to compete in events like mailbag tossing, sledding, present-wrapping, and an obstacle course. Peter spoke to all the Santas at the Games and realized that many were his own age. He started to think, “I could do this.”
There’s also the World Santa Claus Congress, which Peter started going to six years ago. Whole families attended, with about 150 Santas, Mrs. Clauses, and elves from across the world. The Congress was hosted by the Danish Guild of Santas at the world’s oldest amusement park in Bakken, Denmark, until COVID-19 hit, shutting the event down.
Events included a freezing cold dip in the sea (“cold, even in the summer!”), and a bus trip to the Little Mermaid statue so the 100-plus Santas could greet people and spread some holiday joy in the summer. All those Santas would then board a boat, tour the harbour, parade through downtown Copenhagen, and go back to the amusement park for more fun.
Peter, by the way, is the reigning three-time champion of the Congress’ obstacle course competition. Looks likely he will remain the champ, as the sponsoring amusement park decided to go in a “different direction” in the post-COVID world, declining to sponsor the Congress again.
Besides attending the summer Santa events, other changes had to be made for Peter to be Santa — like the beard. He tried a fake beard, but after participating in Santa Games events left it coming off in pieces, Peter realized it was time to grow a real beard. And even that requires some maintenance: besides trimming, he uses a bit of dye to amp up the silver-white colour to really get that Santa look.
So Peter Jr. is now Santa, and it’s not just a seasonal gig, what with the Games, Congress, and permanent beard; it’s a lifestyle, and a whole-family endeavour. Lori Thompson, Peter’s partner, is his Mrs. Claus — but she goes by Misty Claus. Misty is the updated, modern, younger version of Mrs. Claus, who does more than just bake cookies. Lori also goes as Misty the Elf, depending on the event.
Both Peter and Lori have attended Santa school in Midland, Michigan, at the oldest Santa school in the world: the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School. Indeed, Misty the Elf (as Misty Claus had not yet been “born” at that time) was the first elf to graduate from Santa school.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Peter was put on probation at Santa school for riding a bike through a local toy store with Santa Jerry of Colorado. Another time, at another toy store, Santa Jerry and Santa Peter “acted up” a bit for watching reporters, as Santas are wont to do when they get out of the North Pole. All’s well that ends well, though: they both graduated, and they bought the bike to donate it to a local charity. A bicycle donation has now become a tradition for the friends.
Peter and Lori learned a lot at Santa school, on how to build their personas and developing their own Santa worldview. Being Santa requires more skills than one might think: acting, story-telling, world-building, and quick thinking are among them. Kids ask questions, after all — “And they test you,” Lori says. Part of Santa school is hearing how other Santas answer questions on home visits, how the magic is preserved for curious kids who ask those tough questions like “How do you get the reindeer to fly?” and “How do you always get the presents to the right kid?” Then, you can take the parts that suit your own Santa worldview and adjust as needed.
Lori says that fairy dust is very helpful in the Santa world; it comes in different colours and is used to make the reindeer fly and to get them to stop (the red fairy dust makes them stop, obviously). Presents are shrunk down so they all fit in Santa’s sack, and the fairy dust makes them bigger — but it only works if the present is at the right house. The fairies only make enough magic dust for one night, and will only give it to elves. They will not talk to anyone else. All of this and more often comes out in the home visits that Santa and Misty Claus (or Misty the Elf) make.
And it’s not just kids who love those tales and the magic that Santa and Misty Claus bring; Lori says that she loves visiting older people, bringing back Christmas memories, and “seeing the sparkle come back in their eyes.”
There are new stories to hear every year. Not only do Peter and Lori do home visits and private events, which you can book via their Facebook page (@thesantafamily), but you can also book a visit to the Santa House, new this year; we were lucky enough to have a sneak peak (see photos)! There’s also a mailbox for kids to drop off their letters to Santa, which Santa answers personally. (Top tip: when you go, make sure your kids ask all of their questions, as Santa and Misty Claus always have the answer.)
We asked Peter about his favourite part of being Santa. He looked over his glasses, as though the answer should have been obvious: “Seeing the kids, putting a smile on their faces, touching their hearts,” he said. The right answer; in hindsight, it was obvious.
Oh, and Santa’s favourite cookie? “HOMEMADE oatmeal raisin,” Peter says, the emphasis all his. Favourite reindeer? No favourites — “it would be wrong,” like saying you have a favourite child, Peter chides gently, in a very Santa-like way. He does admit, though, that Comet gets the most mention in the tales; Comet, after all, is the one that lets Santa borrow his bells. But that, Peter says, is a story for another time.
