The Christmas festivities are in the air. As much as the Christmas tree is a favourite, the festivities are incomplete without Santa Claus. But, did you know there exists a school that trains Santa Claus? And what more? It holds the Guinness Book of World records title for the longest-running Santa School.
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Located in New York’s Albion, Orleans County, The Charles W Howard Santa Claus School was founded in October 1937.
At the school, the Santas learn the skills necessary to convey a convincing Father Christmas. This includes:
*How to ride a sleigh
*How to build toys in a workshop
*Learning lyrics to popular Christmas songs and accompanying dances
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As per the records website, the lessons on how to dress like Santa even include the timings required to get into the festive get-up, for example, applying your Santa makeup should only take 30-35 seconds.
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“I think is a really important foundation for anybody that wants to be Santa,” student Michael Beurer told the records site.
“It becomes a Santa family and you can actually lean off each other. Together we’re better – this is one of the main foundations I think Charles Howard was trying to portray,” he added.
The school’s founder Charles W Howard was a farmer and a passionate toy maker. He always wanted to portray Santa so he appeared as Santa in various department stores as well as in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
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The school which was started in Charles’ home moved to a much larger site in Midland, Michigan, USA due to growing attendance.
The school graduates are conferred with a BSC – Bachelor of Santa Claus at the end of the three-day course, and are awarded as part of a graduation ceremony too. Santa graduate Jason Sanderson said; “You’re not just a performer, you’re also providing magic for everybody”.
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Now, the school attracts 300 students per year from all over the US, states the website.
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