This Christmas season, corporate Calgary is paying as much as $500 an hour to be entertained by a small, elite corps of professional Santa impersonators.

They wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a dollar-store beard.

Their satin-lined Santa garb is spotless and immaculately tailored.

They meet the highest standards of Claus decorum. Their ho-ho’s are warm, deep and mellifluous.

Larry MacDougal photos, Business Edge
Victor Nevada demands a high standard from his Santa recruits.

Best of all, they deliver a brand of quality entertainment that your basic, off-the-rack mall Santa can’t hope to match.

This cadre of super-Santas has been scrupulously drilled by a perfectionist with the mildly exotic name of Victor Nevada.

Dean of Studies at Calgary’s Santa Claus School Inc., Nevada claims to be Canada’s only full-time Santa Claus. And he brings the same intense conviction to the role that Olivier brought to Hamlet.

“Everybody thinks you get a suit, you get a fake beard, you practice ho-ho’s in front of a mirror and you’re ready to go,” said Nevada, speaking through a home-grown crop of white chin shrubbery.

“Well, no. You don’t have it at all.”

He has a world-weary face and a thoughtful, businesslike demeanour. But at the sight of a camera lens, Nevada magically transforms his features into those of the apple-cheeked elf who sprang so vividly to life in the old Coca-Cola ads.

“The voice, the movement, the character development can all be taught,” Nevada explained.



“But when (my students are) in character, they must have the ability to uplift people. There should be an uplifting of the soul – if Santa can’t do that, then the rest of it’s kinda irrelevant,” he shrugged.

His official job description: Santa broker. Nevada is steeped in Claus lore and describes his thriving business as multi-faceted.

He has appeared in numerous print ads, videos and TV commercials. Meanwhile, Nevada designs and creates custom Santa garb for discriminating purchasers, many from south of the border, whose characterization of Claus is anything but superficial.

“They’ve researched the character, they’ve developed the character. They want a costume that fits who they are,” he said.

Santa Claus School (www.santaschool.com) also attracts most of its applicants from the U.S., where fraternal groups such as the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas (AORBS) uphold the honoured tradition.

And during the busy season, a team of hand-picked Santa School grads makes the rounds of corporate and children’s parties. These are men with natural beards, exquisite costumes and the all-important intangibles Nevada demands from his people.

They don’t normally appear in malls because commercial outlets won’t cough up the required fee.

“The clientele I deal with are expecting the real goods and are prepared to pay for it,” sniffed Nevada, who believes those who settle for cut-rate Santas have short-changed themselves, as well as the kids.

“I sort of wonder how many kids stopped believing in Santa early because the Santa that came (to their party) didn’t cut the mustard,” he mused.

But don’t get the idea that Nevada’s a mercenary. He charges no more than $300 to appear at a children’s function. And he respects certain less-conscientious, fake-bearded souls who portray Santa for low fees because, as Nevada put it, they’re “charity-driven.”

But since it’s his bread and butter, Nevada takes his work seriously. So do those who seek his services.

Not long ago, he travelled to Hong Kong to comply with terms of an unusual contract.

Operators of a local mall wished to open a Santa Claus Institute, which invites youngsters to come in and try their own hand at playing Santa.

“In 20 years, I’ve never seen this done before. But it’s a good draw,” Nevada reflected. “They dress up in a costume, fake beard and eyebrows. They learn how to ho-ho, how to move – they get about 40 minutes of immersing themselves in Santa.”

Kids, of course, are what Santa’s all about. And Nevada has heard heartbreaking words spill from the mouths of kids at Christmas time.

If a little girl wishes for “a happy family,” he acknowledges he can’t improve her home situation.

“But there are things I CAN do – bring her mother over and try to establish a shared moment, a memory that would hopefully last for the rest of their lives.”

For a corporate crowd, he takes a different tack.

“I tell people I’m skipping Ottawa this year,” he cracked. “When it comes to giving goodies away, Santa can’t compete with the Liberals.”

Don’t believe in Santa Claus? Talk to Victor Nevada. There’s a chance he’ll restore your faith.