Santa has a magical way of making smiles appear on the faces of kids young and old as he walks through the corridors of Capilano Mall.
He catches busy shoppers by surprise and sends a twinkle to their eyes. The kids run up to him for a big embrace and an impromptu chat with Jolly Old Saint Nick.
“The children, they are the biggest joy you get out of this job,” says Santa gently.
This Christmas season marks the 20th year Saint Nick has made a stopover at Capilano Mall. He makes a point of resting his reindeer here, as the North Shore holds a special place in his heart.
“I love it because I get a lot of First Nations kids in here,” says Santa. “And I get a lot of kids with disabilities. I have a whole relationship with the community.”
Sitting on his special throne next to a cosy fireplace in the mall’s Candy Wonderland, Santa is surrounded by whimsical lollipops and gingerbread men. He eagerly awaits the arrival of the children, their fantastical wish lists in tow.
While the big guy in red has met many families over the two decades, some of whom make it their annual tradition to come back to Candy Wonderland, one funny story comes to mind for Santa.
“This little boy comes in, he’s maybe three and we talk about what he wants for Christmas. When he’s leaving he says: ‘Santa, can I have a word?’ And I say: ‘sure, sure.’ And he says: ‘You’re going to be on my roof with your reindeer, right?’ And I say, ‘Yeah, that’s the plan.’ And he says: ‘Would you mind throwing down my Frisbee?’"
Santa can covert even the most hardened cynics, “in this society where we don’t have myths anymore.”
“There really is a Santa Claus,” he says. “Santa lives at the North Pole.”
Santa explains how he recruits special stand-ins to visit with children at Christmas parties and the malls, but will pop by for quality control checks on his understudies.
“So, when you visit Santa you never ever know if it’s the real Santa Claus,” he says with a wink.
Santa gets some good intel for parents looking to surprise their kids with a coveted gift. Barbie dolls are a classic request. One of the hottest toys this year is Paw Patrol, based on Santa’s running tally.
But will Frozen enthusiasts let it go this Christmas?
“Last year and the year before, every little girl would sing Frozen because they had watched it 55 times,” says Santa with a hearty chuckle.
And sometimes there are wishes, heartbreaking ones, that don’t always get fulfilled.
Santa hands the children a magic red apple from the brimming basket by his side and gently says: “Make a wish and eat the magic apple and I promise it will make you feel good inside.”
In this day and age of social media, we wanted to know if Santa takes selfies. With fans, of course he does. What’s Santa’s go-to pose?
“Just a nice smile and a twinkle in my eyes,” he says.
