Santa Jerry
Santa Jerry with his wife Barbara as Mrs. Claus.
Hometown: Arbada, Colorado
Other job: Mechanic for United Airlines
Santa Claus for: 11 years
I started when my uncle asked me if I would come over and do Santa for his daughters. I thought it was kind of fun and it has steadily progressed since then. I started out using a fake beard and then grew my own beard. I end up having to bleach it because it's not completely white. I bought an antique sleigh on eBay -- it's one of the best props for pictures I've seen. There's a lot of work to it, but it's probably the most rewarding thing I can do.
I take a lot of vacation days around this time of year so I can do my Santa job. I start just before Thanksgiving and my last visit is the day after Christmas. I do an afternoon in a store or go to private or corporate parties. We're just all over the place. It is very lucrative but it's not about the money, it's about the children. I enjoy having time to spend with them, talk to them. The money is nice but I'm not really banking on it or anything like that. I'm about three years away from retirement and when I do retire I know this is something I'm still going to do.
NEXT: Santa Redd
