It’s now officially December, which means it’s Santa Claus’s busiest month of the year.
There’s not much time left for him to make his list (and check it twice), build the toys and train the reindeer for that grueling ride around the planet. As the population continues to climb, so do the requests for iPhones, Beats headphones, yoga pants and Xbox Ones. With such high demand and so little time, Santa is under a lot of pressure to make sure everybody’s favorite holiday goes off without a hitch.
That’s where Chris Yellen comes in.
Yellen is Santa’s liaison in the Concord region. He’s really an extension of Santa more than anything else – he carries out all of Santa’s duties in this area.
Maybe you’ve seen him at a friend’s birthday party or the family Christmas party. Maybe he visited you in the hospital. He could have been the jolly guy who lit the town Christmas tree. He might even have stopped into your office – the way he stopped by the Insider pod last week. Wherever Santa’s work needs to be done, he’s there.
“We take it seriously,” Santa said of he and Mrs. Claus, sometimes known as Karen Yellen. “We both graduated from the International University of Santa Claus . . . they have a branch out in Framingham, Mass.”
Santa college? These surrogate Clauses sure don’t mess around – they’re also affiliated with the New England Santa Society, the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas, the Red Suit Society and the National Beard Registry (No. 7161) – so you know they’re legit. Who knew Santa went to college and joined a union?
At Santa school, you learn “just about everything,” he said. “Right from the history of where Santa Claus came from, how it evolved and got to where it is. We then learn everything from grooming, different types of gestures, how to wave during a parade.” After all, you don’t want to just go out there and mail it in – Santa’s reputation is on the line, and this Santa knows that.
Yellen has been working for Santa out of Santa’s Special Operations Center in Concord for the past few years now. These centers are strategically – and secretively – placed all over, so Santa doesn’t have to lug everything from the North Pole all over the world every time a kid wants to sit on his lap. You’d think some people would have caught on to these satellite centers by now, but Santa and his crew have a long, storied history of keeping secrets.
“We never give the address, because it’s a secret location,” he said.
When he’s out delivering toys, he loves to grab a cookie or two for the long, cold ride. If you really want to make his night, leave him some oatmeal-raisin – those are his favorite. And for the reindeer?
“Oh, they love carrots,” he said. “That’s a fact. They will eat carrots.”
Now when he’s running around town making all his appearances before Christmas, he can’t take the sleigh and reindeer – those beasts need to conserve their energy for the big night. Instead, you’ll see him cruising around in a Chevy Aveo – in red, of course.
If Santa had a compact sedan for getting around town on those no-reindeer-allowed roads, this would be it. The license plate reads “REDRDE” – red ride. Below that plate is a bumper sticker – WWSD – What Would Santa Do?
This Santa wanted to work for the big man for a long time, he said. He worked as a justice of the peace for 25 years, played in a band and a choir, and has more than 25 years of general public speaking experience – and he loves Christmas. It’s like he was destined to spread cheer and good tidings.
But if this Santa is here in Concord, how does he report back to his North Pole counterpart?
Ever hear of the internet?
Facebook, Twitter, email, texting – Santa is, of course, well-versed in all of that. And when he can’t find a signal (yes, even Santa is subject to dead zones), he has to rely on Christmas Magic. It’s basically ESP for Santa. One way or another, nothing gets past Old Saint Nick.
And since Christmas is so busy and physically and emotionally demanding, once the holiday is over, Santa gets to relax a little bit.
“I’m at home most of the time,” he said. “I run errands for the household. I don’t sit in front of the TV drinking beer, eating pretzels and watching I Love Lucy reruns.” Nope, luckily for Santa, the Insiders have that covered. We’re pretty much experts on watching TV, eating and drinking. We leave the Christmas cheer thing up to the pros.
But it’s not all rest and relaxation for the hardest working man in snow business during the offseason. There is still work to be done.
“Once a month we have a meeting of the New England Santa Society down in Manchester, where we trade ideas,” he said. These meetings feature all of Santa’s best surrogates in New England, and of course Concord’s representative is always there with bells on. Well, maybe not bells, but he always wears something red or something that says Santa, he said.
So although it is a tough, taxing, demanding and stressful job, it does have its rewards. Eleven months off is definitely one of them. But the best perk of them all?
“The incredible feeling,” Santa said. “You bring joy to everybody. . . . You walk in and you are producing such an incredible atmosphere.”
If you would like Santa and Mrs. Claus to come to your party in the Concord area, contact him through his website, celebratewithsanta.com.