A guinea pig jumped into my beard. My father was a Santa, and my wife got me into doing it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I visit schools, universities, supermarkets, and Christmas light switch-ons. As soon as Santa appears, everyone melts. One little girl brought her guinea pig, and it leaped from her hand straight into my Santa beard. The parents were in stitches while we tried to get it out. My favorite Christmas songs are Eartha Kitt’s sultry version of “Santa Baby,” because it gets all the adults in the mood to dance with Santa, and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” because the lyrics are so pure. No Christmas songs drive me crazy. It’s Christmas—they’re all great.
—Paul Fessi
“Spike Jones is just so cheesy!” I know I look the part. I wear the green Santa outfit from before Coca-Cola turned him red and white to match their branding, but even if I just put on a Christmas hat, people shout, “Oi, Santa!” at me. Someone said I look more like a fat elf, which is fair enough. I’ve had lots of funny incidents. Once, I felt a tug on my beard, looked down, and there was a two-year-old dangling from it. I volunteer as Santa for the domestic abuse charity IDAS, distributing donated presents to child survivors. My favorite song is obvious: “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” because Band Aid drew attention to global inequality. The song that drives me nuts is Spike Jones’s 1948 hit “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.” It’s just so cheesy. Really irritating!
—Arnold Warneken, AKA Green Santa
“I’d rather hear a grime Christmas song.” I was teaching at a school for kids with special educational needs, and they asked me to be Santa. I wasn’t sure how the kids would process a Black Santa, so I made up this jokey character, Rasta Claus. The parents loved it—their children are often seen as “different,” so it made sense for them to have a “different” Santa. One kid once said, “You’re not the real Santa,” so I told him I was Santa’s cousin and worked for him. He believed we were related because we both have white beards—he didn’t see skin color. I love how children think. My favorite festive songs are “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “When a Child Is Born.” None of them mention Christmas, but they couldn’t be more Christmassy. I’d rather hear something different than Mariah Carey for the thousandth time—maybe a grime Christmas song or a punk version of “Silent Night.”
—Cleve Freckleton, AKA Rasta Claus
“I don’t like ‘When Santa Got Stuck Up the Chimney’ for obvious reasons!” For me, Santa is the Christmas spirit. Families—especially with kids—are in awe, and you can feel the magic. It gets very hot in the costume, wig, and beard. For the first hour, you feel really uncomfortable, then your body adjusts. It’s always a challenge to go to the bathroom in costume. Kids always want to tell you what they want for Christmas, and you get some funny requests. A four-year-old girl told me she wanted a reindeer. My favorite song is “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson, because we did a choreographed dance to it in a Santa show and all the families joined in. The one I can’t stand is “When Santa Got Stuck Up the Chimney” for obvious reasons, but I make a joke of it. I say, “It only happened once!”
—Joseph Ridgely
“Christmas Wrapping drives me bananas—though it’s a total earworm.” I used to be a science teacher, but one day my daughter said, “Dad, your beard’s gone white. You could play Father Christmas.” As soon as I put the outfit on, I feel warm and fluffy inside. If kids ask, “Is that beard real?”I tug on it and say, “It feels real to me.” On Boxing Day, I have to get my beard trimmed, otherwise I can’t get rid of him. Believe it or not, my favorite song is “Jingle Bells” because, like Santa, it’s very jolly and Christmassy. The songs that drive me nuts are the ones I’ve heard too much, like Noddy Holder from Slade shouting, “It’s Chriiiiiistmmmmassss!” “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses drives me bananas—the singing leaves a lot to be desired, though I have to admit the riff is a total earworm.
My favorite Christmas song is Jona Lewie’s “Stop the Cavalry” because it’s bouncy, has that wonderful brass section in the middle, and is just a heartfelt plea to stop all war. I don’t like Nat King Cole’s “The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot” because it’s just so sad—the boy has no parents, so he gets nothing at Christmas. Being Santa can be heartbreaking. I’ve had a child say to me, “I only get one present, but my friend gets 30. Does that mean I’m naughty?” But it’s almost like a calling. I once visited a little boy in the hospital who’d been in a terrible accident. When we started talking, the room fell silent and people began to cry. Afterwards, his mum and dad practically rugby-tackled me, saying, “That’s the first time he’s spoken in six months.” That’s the power of Santa.
I’ve got a beard and wear braces. One day, I was in a shop and someone shouted, “Oi, Santa!” A couple of days later, two blokes on bikes shouted the same thing. I thought, there must be something in this. So I became Santa. I must be convincing because a grandfather once came up and said, “Thank you for the guitar you gave me when I was 12.” I love Doctor Who and am pretty sure Santa is a Time Lord: lots of faces and the ability to charge around different places at different times. I’m a classical music buff, so I’m very partial to Prokofiev’s “Sleigh Ride.” It was part of the trade test music when BBC Two launched, and I just loved listening to it. If you hear any Christmas songs too often, they drive you nuts. As a child, I found Donny Osmond’s Christmas songs particularly distressing, but you grin and bear it for the love of Christmas.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Professional Santas Their Christmas Song Opinions
Beginner General Questions
1 What is this about I cant listen to Mariah Carey one more time
This is a common sentiment expressed by many retail workers mall Santas and people in service industries during the holiday season It refers to the sheer overplay of Mariah Careys hit All I Want for Christmas Is You which can become repetitive and exhausting when heard dozens of times daily for weeks
2 Why are we asking Professional Santas about Christmas songs
Professional Santas spend hundreds of hours in malls events and parties surrounded by holiday music They have a unique groundlevel perspective on which songs hold up which become grating and what genuinely brings joy to children and families
3 Do Santas really have favorite and least favorite songs
Absolutely Just like anyone with a jobspecific soundtrack they develop strong preferences Some songs help set a magical mood while others can test their patience and festive spirit by the end of a long shift
4 What are some common favorite Christmas songs among Santas
Santas often prefer classic gentle or nostalgic tunes that create a calm and warm atmosphere Common favorites include
The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole Its warm timeless and perfectly Santa
Instrumental classics or choir hymns Songs like Carol of the Bells or O Holy Night provide a beautiful backdrop without overly catchy repetitive lyrics
White Christmas by Bing Crosby Its a classic that appeals to all generations and evokes a peaceful feeling
5 What songs do Santas commonly say they cant stand
Songs that are overly repetitive hypermodern or just played too frequently top the list Common mentions include
All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey The undisputed champion of overplay fatigue
Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney Its simple synthdriven melody and repetitive chorus can become irritating quickly
Last Christmas by Wham While popular its bittersweet lyrics about heartbreak can feel out of place during a joyful Santa visit
