Santa Al

On Wednesday, Brooke & I drove up to Pittsboro to interview Santa.

Santa Al, that is.

A Pittsboro man who has been playing Santa in malls and ad campaigns across the state for more than 15 years, Santa Al very graciously talked to us for about an hour, and we each got a candy cane and a Christmas wish recommendation before we left.

I admit to being somewhat smitten, which poor Jonathan can confirm, since he sits next to me & has had to hear me talk about the trip incessantly for the past two days. I love when people are passionate about what they do, and Santa Al is wholeheartedly into his role. He manages to create almost an alternate reality around himself by the sheer level of commitment he brings to being Santa Al; by the time we left, I half felt like I’d been on an expedition to the North Pole — minus the reindeer, and with the sleigh replaced by a red 1968 motorcycle.

The story will run on Sunday, but in the meantime, some tidbits I couldn’t squeeze into the article:

= In the course of his fifteen years, Santa Al has seen quite a few changes. For one thing, Nintendo beat Barbies and bikes as the top-requested item for the first time ever in 2005. Also, kids have gotten heavier, resulting in leg cramps and knee pain for poor Santa.

= All of his Santa suits are certified as “super-professional” by a special Santa equipment company in Michigan (which I suspect is run by elves).

= Santa Al used to drive an old Volkswagen Bus named Sunny to all his gigs, painted a shiny yellow with red “Santa Al” and “Ho Ho Ho!” decals. Then the gear shift and the transmission busted after a quarter of a million miles and three engines, and he replaced it with a beige Toyota minivan (still with the decals).

For more, check out the paper on Sunday, take your kids to visit when he’s in Sanford next week, and visit his Web site at www.santaal.com.