Photo by Erin FredrichsTribune

Tribune

One-year-old James Gallegos whimpers through his first time on Santa Claus' lap, during the jolly old elf's visit to the Head Start Christmas party. Being a contract Santa has its challenges but also can be very rewarding, both emotionally and financially. "I've had no problems this year," Santa Charlie Cameron said. "Except kids being scared of me."

Photo by Erin FredrichsTribune

Tribune

Contract Santa Charlie Cameron adjusts the collar of his suit using the reflection from the camper shell on his pickup truck. Cameron doesn't wear his Santa coat while driving, because it distracts other motorists, he said.

Photo by Erin FredrichsTribune

Tribune

Melissa Maldonado watches as Santa and Mrs. Claus invite her older brother, Esteban, 13, to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas. "You're never too old to sit on Santa's lap," Santa said. After overcoming his reluctance, Esteban did have a seat and whispered his request to Santa. The Clauses visited the Head Start Christmas party on Dec. 20 and passed out stuffed animals and toys to all the children who sat on Santa's lap.

Photo by Erin FredrichsTribune

Tribune

Santa's fur-lined boots sit beside him as he prepares to make an appearance. It takes Cameron a little less than half an hour to suit up as jolly ol' St. Nick.

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Tim Buckley has it rough for being a retired man.

He sits at Coronado Center 10 hours a day, seven days a week, for 43 days, from early November to mid-December.

Thousands of kids sit on his lap. They tell him they want iPods, cell phones, dolls, bikes, electronic games, Lincoln Logs, world peace, dinosaurs. If they've heard about it, they will ask.

Others won't look at him. They'll kick; they'll scream; they'll want off.

But Buckley, 64, said being Santa is a privilege because he is able to cheer up children. And he is somewhat of a celebrity. He is captured in photos that are plastered to refrigerators throughout the city.

"I consider it an honor to be around everyone's home (in photographs)," he said. "I'm representing an important character, and I hope I'm representing him well."

Buckley has been Santa Claus for the past four years. He works for Santa Plus, a photography company that contracts St. Nicks for the Christmas season.

He said the company has a rigorous hiring process. There are drug tests and background checks, and the application is lengthy, he said.

More importantly, the company requires its Kriss Kringles to grow a beard.

Buckley's metamorphoses begins in May when he stops trimming his facial hair.

His hair hasn't grayed yet, so he dyes his blond hair.

After playing Santa for one year, Buckley enrolled at Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School, a nonprofit and the oldest St. Nick school in the world.

The school, in Midland, Mich., enrolls about 50 men and women - for Mrs. Claus - every year.

For $300, they spend three days learning everything there is to know about Christmas.

"It's a wonderful place because you learn a lot about Santa, the roles of Santa, the history of Santa," he said. "You learn sign language. You also learn storytelling, which is helpful when interacting with children."

But not all Santas enroll in special schools and work at malls.

Charlie Cameron, 60, is a traveling Santa. If you want to see him, you dial his phone number, schedule an appointment, and Kriss Kringle shows up at your doorstep.

For some children, it can be overwhelming, he said.

"They are pretty wild-eyed looking," he said. "There's at least one, if not four, who will immediately grab you with complete thrill. But there's always that one who will be in the corner frightened."

Cameron became Santa three years ago when he was asked to fill in for a sick St. Nick at a shopping mall. He tried it out for three days, but it was strenuous.

"After that, I thought, `Oh boy. That was pretty tough,' " he said. "Since I'm still employed, I thought it would be better to strike out on my own."

Cameron works full time as a federal employee, but he still packs in quite a few hours attending house parties and holiday get-togethers for businesses across town.

He charges $50 an hour, and he brings along his wife, Cheryl Cameron as Mrs. Claus, who helps out. He said he expects to make about $1,000 this year - just enough to pay for his travel expenses, outfit and a nice dinner for him and his wife.

Some Santas earn up to $20,000 during the holidays, but they are seasoned veterans, said Chris Fasano, who has been Santa for 15 years.

Fasano, 58, runs Santa Chris, a business similar to Cameron's. He worked for Santa Plus last year and earned about $11,000, he said.

He expects to make more this year now that he runs a business. He has about 30 appointments marked on his calendar, and he charges $75 to $100 every half hour.

Fasano said you have to be quick on your feet to be Santa. There was one time when the children saw him exiting his vehicle, and they wanted to know why Santa was driving a Toyota RAV4.

"Usually, if they ask about a sleigh, I tell them there's no snow on the ground," he said, laughing.

He said there are a number of perks for being a traveling Santa: It pays better, he's able to work on his schedule, and he's able to do more charitable work.

That's one thing these Santas have in common: They try to do as much charitable work as possible.

Buckley said Coronado Center often invites disabled children to visit Santa.

"There's often not a dry eye on the set after some of these children leave, because they had such a wonderful time," he said.

Most children this year have asked for iPods and electronic games, Buckley said. But some still ask for traditional toys.

"A lot of the old standards are still there," Buckley said. "The boys want the trucks. The girls want the dolls."

Sometimes, children will ask Santa for something he cannot deliver. Some have asked him to bring a medicine that will cure their parent's cancer.

Buckley said he can't promise them anything, but he offers them hope.

"I do tell them that Mrs. Claus and I will say a special prayer," he said.

Some kids ask for dinosaurs but not the plastic kind. They want the real-life giant reptiles. For those kids, he tells them a dinosaur sitting under the Christmas tree would frighten them.

They don't take that for an answer.

"They'll blow up their chest and tell me," he said, " `A dinosaur would not scare me.' "