At this time of year some youngsters tend to doubt the existence of Santa Claus. The only way I can contribute to that conversation is by saying I am certain that his existence does exist within many who put on that red suit every December.
One of those individuals is Michael Dermott. He’s a local actor- director- set designer and producer at many local theater companies. He’s been Santa for the Yankee Trails event “Santa’s Magical Express” for 13 years. He loves the experience.
He describes his feelings saying, “Not only am I the Rock Star of the holidays, I get to share the joy of families who are forming lifelong memories. My two sons are grown, so in everyday life I’m not around kids a lot. It’s a wonderful experience.”
He estimates he’s had thousands of kids sit on his lap over that time. Which means thousands of experiences.
One thing he is adamant about is parents hijacking their kids time with Santa. He advises that when you take your children to see Santa Claus, the major rule is don’t interrupt their time with him. “I cringe when parents yell out - ‘Tell him what you want.’ Santa's been doing this a while. He gets it. He knows what his job is,” he says.
He explains: “People might be surprised that most of the conversation which you can't hear has more to do with talking about how we can all get on the nice list by treating others nicely rather than taking down a shopping list of wants.”
He has another tip for parents. Don’t label an expensive gift as from Santa. His logic is that your child will be playing with another child who asked for the same thing, but their parents couldn’t afford the item. The child who didn’t have his request filled will wonder why Santa chose one person and not him or her.
He says his favorite experience being Santa is with special needs children. It’s his experience that when they are with Santa they are not different or treated as special. With a voice starting to crack he says, “It’s a child with his hero. How lucky am I?”
Oddly, he enjoys the screaming child. A photo-op with Santa is part of the Yankee Trail package and McDermott thinks an image of a child that is behaving less than perfect is a potential family heirloom. “It’s a reminder that even perfect children don’t always act perfectly,” he says.
On the topic, his favorite memory with an ill-behaved child is one who actually rolled on the floor crying. He tells how he got down on the floor with the child and did an anger pose himself. He gave a jolly laugh as he said, “It was the best Santa photo ever.”
Not all moments are easy though. There are requests that can’t be filled. One of which is when a child requests a mother or father be returned from military duty in some war zone or wishes for a parent to come home from a local hospital.
His cardinal rule for any Santa is never promise what you can’t deliver. He says he tries to be positive, even when explaining that he can’t promise that request. His alternative is to say things like “we share his or her concern and we all hope that it can happen.”
He explains there are some comical roadblocks as well. Laughing again, he recalls the look he got from a child when he suggested an etch-a-sketch as a substitute for an i-Pad. Still flabbergasted he says, “The youngster had no idea what an etch-a-sketch was and I didn’t realize a 4-year old actually wanted an i-Pad.”
Since that time McDermott and the other Santa’s at “Santa’s Magical Express” study toy catalogues and check trends for current fads and interests of youngsters.
He takes his obligation to the children very serious. He says, “To play Santa you have to remember that to kids this is a very powerful figure. The situation must always be treated with respect. If they ask for something and Santa doesn’t know what it is, it destroys the magic.”
He does have a problem with people who look at “Santa’s Magical Express” as a commercialization of Santa and the holiday.
“Yankee Trails is a family-owned business that is dedicated to creating a memorable family experience. When we started there were four actors playing Santa, Jack Frost and the elves. Now we have about 65 people, including three Santa’s. He says many local actors play a lot of the roles. “Everyone gives up something to be involved. It’s not about money. The goal is to create a happy memory.”
For McDermott, participating in “Santa’s Magical Express” is a deeply rewarding and still moving experience. In 2012, his first contract with the organization, he helped to refine the concept for “Express.” He describes the moment as “deeply comforting at a low point in my life.”
That year he worked several years for the state in what was categorized as a “temporary position.” It was eliminated and McDermott was suddenly unemployed. Not knowing what medical benefits a new job would offer, he decided to have a physical under his then current coverage.
He had a colonoscopy six months earlier but since colon cancer ran in his family he had another. It was positive and he had immediate surgery to remove the cancer. He is now cancer free. McDermott says, “Had it not been detected in such an early stage, who knows?”
Too, though he had several job offers, none pleased him. Then an opportunity opened in the state Attorney General’s office as Director of Education and Development. He says “It’s the best job I ever had. It’s work where myself and others in my department help the citizens of New York.”
Reflecting on that period of his life, he says, “Losing that job not only saved my life, it brought me to “Santa’s Magical Express.” I feel blessed every time I put on the red suit.”
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
