Confessions of 'Santa Clauses' on Christmas

Every Christmas, many elderly men get a special part-time job - becoming Santa Claus to take pictures, give gifts, and talk to children. Their job seems very pleasant and joyful, but "it is not as it seems".

After the story of Mr. Eric Schmitt-Matzen, who lives in Tennessee, USA, was published in the American press, the American public began to pay more attention to the stories of the old men who often play the role of Santa Claus every Christmas. Their job seems very pleasant and joyful, a job associated with fairy tales and children's smiles...

But behind that are real sad stories, heartbreaking situations that many “Santa Clauses” have had to face. Like the old man Eric Schmitt-Matzen mentioned above, he was once asked to play the role of Santa Claus to visit a boy in his dying moments. This became the saddest story he has ever experienced since becoming “Santa Claus” every Christmas.

This sad story haunted him for a while and he even planned to never accept the role of Santa Claus again. However, Eric is not the only one who has suffered a serious psychological impact while playing the role.

Children often believe that Santa Claus has magical powers that can make all their wishes come true. As in the case of Mr. Eric, a 5-year-old boy with a terminal illness who was in his final moments of life, asked him: “Can you help me get well?”

The question brought tears to his eyes and while he was still trying to find an answer, the boy died in his arms while waiting for a miracle to come to him. Mr. Eric shared: “Situations like that really make you numb. Usually, I will gently tell the children: That is not something Santa Claus can do, my child…”.

In fact, when studying the work of the old men who play Santa Claus every year-end, when they appear at entertainment centers, supermarkets, shopping malls, etc., Time (USA) discovered that every "Santa Claus" has similar thoughts with heartbreaking moments every time they put on their red suit and the responsibilities that come with it.

In general, every “Santa Claus” thinks that his job is mainly fun, but cannot avoid sad memories when a child asks them to help make an impossible wish come true.

Timothy Connaghan, a veteran Santa Claus, shared that the most difficult part of the job is when a child sits on Santa's lap and begins to confide in the difficulties their family is facing, not asking for a gift for themselves, but instead asking for a change for their family.

“Those are the hardest moments, when a child sits on your lap and says sadly: My parents are out of work; or: Someone in my family is seriously ill. Can you help me?”, shared Mr. Timothy Connaghan (67 years old).

For Timothy, the saddest situation is when a child talks about the constant sadness that makes them miserable: “For example, being bullied at school, or feeling lonely, not being able to fit in with people around… I can’t step into their lives to really do something to help. I can only say that they should tell this story to their teachers and parents to receive the most effective help.”

According to Mr. Timothy, being Santa Claus every Christmas is a quite popular part-time job for old men at the end of the year. This job brings a lot of joy, but at the same time, he also realizes that being Santa Claus is not simple. Before deciding to put on the red suit and silver beard, each person needs to be prepared to be ready to handle difficult and sensitive situations.

For both Eric and Timothy, Santa Claus should not make promises they cannot keep. As a veteran Santa Claus impersonator, Timothy often shares his experiences with other “Santas” at short-term “Santa Claus” training classes.

Ray Lindsey (63 years old) living in Alabama also often plays Santa Claus every Christmas. Mr. Ray believes that Santa Claus plays an important role in social life: “We all need something to admire, to look up to, something that makes our souls come alive. We need superheroes on the screen, stories of good people doing good deeds in life, and we need Santa Claus every Christmas.”

Timothy agrees: “Being Santa Claus is one of the most magical experiences a man can have. When you see how much joy you can bring to children and their families, it makes you feel how magical life is.”

According to Dantri