Three Days at Santa School: Michelle Khare Trains to Become Mrs. Claus
Michelle Khare
Every year, about 300 of what the school calls "Santa's cousins" travel from around the world to Midland, Michigan, to attend the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School. In this episode of Challenge Accepted, Michelle Khare joins them. They have three days to learn everything from toy making and sleigh riding to beard hygiene, reindeer handling, and "looking, sounding, and smelling the part." The final challenge is to go through eight hours of special effects makeup and fully transform into a Claus for what Khare calls the world's toughest critics: children.
The video's central question is what the job actually requires. Khare expects the hard part to be the costume and the trivia. By the end, they conclude that the real skill is making children feel heard and seen.
The "Harvard of Santa Schools"
Khare explains that most professional Santas train at one of a handful of Santa schools, and that the Charles W. Howard school is the oldest and most prestigious. It's described as "the Harvard of Santa Claus schools," which, Khare jokes, implies there are many and this is the best.
Registration sets the tone. Attendees get lanyards and name tags, and cookies and milk are served at 9 a.m. because that's what Santa eats. Khare compares finding a seat to picking a lunch table in high school, except everyone looks the same. At one table they meet a Santa named Johnny, who is in his fourth year. Johnny mentions that the schedule includes a session on difficult questions from children. He also gives an example of a "fun question," how the reindeer fly, and his answer: they fly on starlight and moonbeams.
Building the Spirit, Not Just the Technique
The students then file into an auditorium to hear from the dean, Tom Valent. The video's narration describes him as a longtime student of the school who plays Santa locally, built an elaborate Santa house, and walks a reindeer rather than a dog when he gets home.
Valent's teaching philosophy is modest about what three days can accomplish. He says you can't teach anyone all the techniques of being Santa in that time, but you can build their spirit, and if you build their spirit, it will last a lifetime. Holly Valent, who plays Mrs. Claus and later identifies herself as president of the school, describes the goal as giving students the tools and confidence to be the best Santa and Mrs. Santa they can be. She hopes they leave "a little bit of sparkle" everywhere they go. She frames the curriculum as teaching "the heart of Santa" and "the spirit of Christmas." Tom adds that students will probably be good Santas if they keep that loving, giving spirit.
The first session is a warm-up. The students run tongue twisters such as "seven Santas sing silly songs" and face exercises that alternate a big "lion face" with a scrunched "lemon face." Then they practice "ho ho ho" in different emotional registers: joy, happiness, surprise, and interest.
Toy Making as "Tangible Experience"
The Santas are bused to a workshop, where Khare meets Santa Michael, who agrees to be a guide. The task is building a wooden toy box. Khare makes mistakes: a nail threatens to come out the side, so they start over, and at one point they smash a finger. Michael's response stays in character: sometimes making toys is difficult, and you have to keep trying.
Michael explains the purpose of the exercise. The school wants Santas to have tangible experiences so they can answer children's questions about the North Pole from memory. After this workshop, a Santa can say it's loud, that each toy takes a long time, and that when a perfect toy arrives at Christmas, the elves worked hard on it. Khare finishes the box on the second attempt.
Flight School: Learning to Be a Parade Santa
Khare is eager to "level up" to parade Santa, which the video calls one of the biggest gigs a Santa can get. In a session the students call flight school, they climb into a sleigh. The instructor shows how to hold the reins close, alternate them, and feel the tension, as if coming in against the wind for a landing. For the grand entrance, you put the reins in one hand, ring a bell, and call out lines from "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," the reindeer names, and "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."
Khare admits feeling intimidated about performing in front of men with "beautiful booming voices." Afterward, they tell the camera they hadn't understood why the school included activities like this, beyond the fun. Now they see the point: when children ask about these things, a Santa has a real memory to draw on. The instructor declares that Khare passed.
The Coca-Cola Santa and the Personal Video Message
Khare asks whether Tom Valent is the Santa everyone aspires to be. The Santas reply that each Santa is somewhat individual. They also mention that there are "commercial Santas," and that one who has worked for Coca-Cola is in the room.
That Santa, also named Michael, clarifies that Coke has hired many Santas and that he has done work for the company. He describes how he became Santa. He is a retired middle school teacher who had a dream in which he was dressed as Santa beside a little girl in a hospital bed. In the dream he tapped her hand and told her it was going to be okay because Santa was there, and when he woke up he decided he should do it. He says the things that drew him to education—sharing love and joy and caring for one another—are what he now does as Santa.
He then demonstrates a technique he says he uses all the time. He asks for the names of children in Khare's family, Tommy and Maddie, and records a short personalized greeting from Santa in Midland, Michigan, promising something special this year. He says it takes 60 seconds, and children will watch it over and over again.
Santa Lee: From Elf to the Red Suit
Another Santa, Santa Lee, defines being Santa Claus "in the professional sense" as looking, sounding, and smelling the part. Lee then tells a personal story. Before wearing the white beard, Lee wore pointed ears and played an elf, wanting badly to be Santa but believing they didn't have what it took. Eventually Lee decided they couldn't deny the dream any longer, packed up the elf costume for good, and became Santa. For Lee, being Santa means being a source of comfort, love, kindness, hope, and heartfelt memories, which children carry with them for the rest of their lives. It makes Lee more honored to wear the red suit and be part of "the Santa Claus family."
Khare says Lee helped them see that putting on the red suit means spreading joy to all children, and "that means all children." The video then shows Lee signing a Christmas exchange. Later, this turns out to matter.
First Attempt in the Suit, and a Detailed Critique
Khare says that from previous challenges they have learned the value of "trial by fire." So both Michaels, called the "Kringle brothers," who have both worked as Santa for Coca-Cola, agree to role-play as children while Khare makes a first attempt in full Santa gear.
In the role-play, Khare greets the "children," asks whether they've been good, and handles a request for a Lego set shaped like Santa's sleigh. Khare's answer: there are limited-edition sets from "my collaboration," but they'll see what they can do, and at minimum the sleigh will fly right over the child's house on Christmas Eve. Afterward, Khare says the exercise was stressful, especially in front of "pinnacle Santas."
The Michaels' critique is specific and mostly about the costume:
- The belt buckle is off-center, and the padding is visibly uneven.
- The hat is a different material from the coat, and the reds don't match: a lighter red on top, more burgundy on the pants and jacket.
- They like the boots but suggest a different way of wearing them.
- The mustache was attached with microphone tape, which is why it's slipping. It hangs so low that the mouth is hidden, which they say could frighten some children.
When Khare worries about already scaring children, the Santas reassure them: these notes are about polish, not heart, and the heart was there. Khare observes that the school places a lot of emphasis on character, backstory, and improvisation.
One of the Michaels also gives a note on approach. Santa already knows the children, so instead of a generic greeting, a Santa might say something like "I think you're taller this year, you must be eating well, I'm so proud to see you growing." He points out that this states no actual facts but feels personal, so the child thinks, "he knows me." He then gives Khare a coin. Whenever they feel frustrated, which he says happens to all of them, they should pick it up, remember they're spreading joy, and keep going.
Watching Tom and Holly with Real Children
Before the final challenge, Khare watches Tom and Holly Valent with real children. Holly introduces herself as Santa's assistant and the president of the school, and tells the children she was born on December 22nd and disliked her name, Holly, as a girl. Holly says imagination is necessary for wonder, and that children always need reassurance that there is hope, love, and joy in the world. Tom says Mrs. Claus is something the world needs today, and that things work well when he lets Holly take the lead.
A child asks why elves have pointed ears. The answer given is that they need good ears to hear, in case they're checking on the children. Khare notes that children ask hard questions. One of the most surprisingly difficult parts of the challenge, they say, is needing deep knowledge of Santa lore to handle the wide range of questions, some of them bizarre or hyper-specific.
Grilled by Holly, and Trying Mrs. Claus
To prepare, Khare persuades Holly Valent to ask them her hardest questions, this time with Khare playing Mrs. Claus rather than Santa. Holly, playing a child, asks where Santa is, whether Mrs. Claus can ride the sleigh, who her favorite reindeer is, whether Rudolph's nose is hot, whether she sees the Northern Lights, and whether she can take the child to the North Pole.
Khare improvises. Santa is preparing toys. Mrs. Claus has to stay home with the elves. She can't pick favorites, but Rudolph's nose is fun. The Northern Lights are her favorite part of living at the North Pole. When asked about bringing the child along, Khare explains there's an elf "overpopulation problem," then invites the child to close their eyes, hold hands, and imagine the cold, the jingle bells, and the lights in the sky. To exit, Khare says an elf named Bernard is whispering that it's time to return to the North Pole.
Holly says Khare is a natural. Khare admits the Rudolph question was the hardest, because whatever they said felt like "canonizing the lore." Holly agrees it's a trick question. She then describes the questions that are actually hard. Children say a grandparent is dying, and you have to swallow and act as if it's okay. Children ask for their mother to get out of jail, and Holly says Tom gets tears in his eyes and gets choked up. Her conclusion is that what matters is a good heart and love for children and adults.
The Pivot to Mrs. Claus, and the Problem of Age
Khare says playing Mrs. Claus drew them to the character's warmth, kindness, and maternal energy. They also remember being afraid of Santa a few times as a child, while Mrs. Claus made them more comfortable. Holly's advice for nervous children is to bridge the distance: get physically close and down to their level so you aren't looming, because Santa can be scary. She adds that a nervous child given the choice between Santa and Mrs. Claus will likely choose Mrs. Claus.
So Khare decides to pivot to Mrs. Claus for the final challenge. That creates a new problem. Holly points out that Khare is much younger than most Mrs. Santas and will need to age up somehow, mentioning that a little boy once asked whether she was Santa's daughter. Khare calls the believable age the biggest worry.
The Final Challenge at the Santa House
The final challenge is a full Mr. and Mrs. Claus visit for a group of local children at the Santa House, which the video describes as a holiday staple in Midland, designed and built by Tom Valent. Holly explains that the line can be a couple of hours long when Santa is there. She says the house started as bare walls, that Tom hand-carved the elves, that the trains came from Germany, and that they wanted a place where everyone felt welcome.
Khare reasons that a five-minute interaction for them could become a lifelong memory for a child, so the production flew a special effects makeup team to Michigan. Holly adds a cautionary anecdote: a girl once told her she could see brown hair under her wig, so you have to be almost perfect. After eight hours in the makeup chair, Khare is ready. Tom agrees to play Santa. The plan is that Khare starts solo as Mrs. Claus, then Tom arrives and the children sit on his lap. Tom says he'll roll with whatever Khare comes up with, since Mrs. Claus can be whatever is in your heart.
The visit is lively and unpredictable. Khare uses the personalized greeting the Michaels taught, telling the children they're much bigger than last year. When one child hits another, Mrs. Claus says gently, "we don't hit." The children volunteer stories, including one about finding a frog. Mrs. Claus asks whether the child was nice to it, and the child says they didn't smash it. Another child does a flip, which Mrs. Claus ties to an elf talent show at the North Pole. Requests include a Barbie house and a puppy, and Mrs. Claus promises to check with the elves. Then the elf Bernard "whispers" that Santa is coming, and Tom enters to "holy peppermint sticks."
Brooklyn
Khare notices that one girl, Brooklyn, is shy. Mrs. Claus tells the group she used to be shy too, and Khare looks for ways to include her: giving the children bells to hold for Santa as "a big responsibility," and giving Brooklyn a gift from the North Pole. Khare then signs "Merry Christmas" to her. In narration, Khare explains they didn't know at the time that Brooklyn communicates with sign language, and credits their Santa mentors with preparing them for it.
Looking back, Khare says they had spent so much time worrying about what questions children might ask, but the job turned out to be about making children feel heard and seen. Their closing view is that whether or not you believe in the magic of Santa, its impact on children and adults of all ages is undeniable, and that this is the true spirit of the holidays.
We all know there is only one Santa, and he lives in the North Pole. But even Santa needs help, and so every year, 300 of Santa's cousins from all around the globe travel to Midland, Michigan, to attend the Charles W. Howard Santa School. And this year, so am I. I have three days to learn everything from toy making to sleigh riding—Merry Christmas!—to beard hygiene. Santa Claus: looking, sounding, and smelling the part. To reindeer handling, because for my final challenge, I will be going through eight hours of special effects makeup to fully transform into Santa for a group of the world's toughest critics: children.
I love Christmas. I'm so excited. Today we are going to the international Santa school. This place is known as the Harvard of Santa Claus schools, implying apparently there are many, and this one is the best one. And as it turns out, most professional Santas end up training at one of a handful of Santa schools, but the oldest and most prestigious of those schools is the Charles W. Howard Santa School.
Oh my God, there's a Santa. It's our first-day sighting. He has a medal. Look, do you see them inside the registration? I love Christmas. On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... I love... Good morning.
So you'll have a lanyard in there, a name tag. Amazing. They are literally serving cookies and milk at 9:00 a.m. because that's what Santa eats. Follow the big man's lead.
I feel so intimidated. It's like picking a lunch table to sit at in high school, but everyone's cool and they all look the same. Who looks like the friendliest Santa? Well, they all have to be friendly, right? Santa is going to be nice.
Okay, excuse me, can I sit here with you guys? I'm Santa Johnny. How long have you been coming here? This is my fourth year. Wow. I noticed in the schedule there's a section where we're going to learn how to handle difficult questions from kids. Oh yes, but then there's the fun questions. What are the fun questions? Well, how do the reindeer fly? Don't tell anybody. They fly starlight and moonbeams. That's so fun.
We were then filed into the auditorium to hear from Mr. Tom Valent, the dean of the school himself. Tom's credentials are unparalleled in educational circles. A student at the school for 14 years, he plays Santa locally, built this lavish Santa house, and when he comes home from work, walks not the dog but his reindeer. Lizard, come on out, buddy.
You can't teach anyone all the techniques to be Santa in three days, but you can build their spirit. If you build their spirit, they're going to last a lifetime. And joining him in promoting the true spirit of Christmas is his very own Mrs. Claus, Holly.
Thank you so much. Legends. Santa cousins, thank you for coming to Midland. Our goal is to give you the tools and confidence to be the best Santa and Mrs. Santa the world has to offer, and that when you go someplace, you leave a little bit of sparkle everywhere you go. In this Santa school, we teach the heart of Santa and we teach the spirit of Christmas. They're all probably going to be good Santas if they learn to keep that loving, giving spirit.
And after a welcome from Tom and Holly, we began our first Santa warm-up for the lessons ahead. Seven Santas sing silly songs. That was so jolly. Seven Santas sing silly songs. Sing silly songs. So let's warm up the muscles in our face. So let's make a lion face, big and bold, and then lemon face, the squishiest you can make. Lion face, lemon face. Ho, ho, ho. First with joy, happiness, surprise. Let's show interest with that same three syllables. Thank these gentlemen for doing such a wonderful job.
Dashing through the... one open sleigh... the fields we...
All the Santas were then packed into buses, where I met Santa Michael, who agreed to guide me in my first official Santa lesson: toy making. This is Santa's wonderful workshop. This is where we get an opportunity to experience what it's like to make toys at the North Pole. It's so loud in here. Everyone is hammering away. So what we're building is a toy box. Oh, cool.
Am I doing this right? Oh my God, I think I messed up. Oh my God, it's going to come out the side. I got to start over. That's all right. Sometimes making toys is difficult, and we have to keep trying. Please tell me you got that. She smashed her finger.
We want them to have tangible experiences so they can answer the children's questions. If you get to go in a workshop and make toys, when they ask you what's it like at the North Pole, you can explain away. Now I know it's loud. It takes a long time for each toy. So when you get that toy at Christmas and it's perfect and everybody's happy, but the elves have been making it for a long time.
Yay! Yay, I did it right this time. There you go. See, you made a toolbox. I did. And it's wonderful. Thank you. Is it time for flight school? We can go to flight school.
While the tangible experience of working in Santa's workshop is good basic knowledge for mall Santas and party Santas, I was excited to level up and learn about being a parade Santa, which is one of the biggest gigs a Santa can get.
What should I do when I get up there? You can tug on the reins. You can say the infamous lines from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. All the other ones too, and Rudolph. Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. Such a good voice. Or you just say, booming voice.
It's a little intimidating to go up there in front of all of these big men with beautiful booming voices, and then there's me. But I want to do Santa justice, so I'm going to give it my all when I get up there.
Go ahead, you just want to climb right up to the sleigh. Oh, this is so cool. Just be careful. Just take it all in. Look down. Now what I want you to do is go ahead and grab the reins here. Now remember, you want to make sure that you keep them in close, and you want to alternate a little bit. Go. Now you see, now you feel the tension, right? Yes. So now all of a sudden you're coming in and you got the wind coming out. You're making your landing, and you want to make your grand appearance. So here, put the reins in one hand, grab your bell, ring and yell.
And yell from the top of the wall. On Dancer, oncer, Onix, on... P and bl... To the top of the... to the top of the wall. Dan, Dan... All, bring that, bring those... Merry Christmas!
When I first heard we were doing these things, I didn't really understand why. Obviously it's fun, but what are you actually learning? And what I'm realizing now is that it's important to have those real experiences so that when kids ask you about it, you have a real memory to draw upon.
That's the way, that's the way, that's the way. I think that deserves a license. Merry Christmas! That was so fun. You passed. I'm so happy. I can slay. You can slay, girl. Yes, you can. Yay!
So Mr. Valent, Tom, he seems to be the head honcho Santa. Yeah. Is that what everyone's striving for? I think everybody's Santa's a little individual. He's not like a commercial Santa, when you think of Coca-Cola and all the big... There's a few of them, and Michael is in here some places. He's Santa 100%, 24/7. Amazing. The boy is incredible, but he does work for Coca-Cola. He's in this room. Coca-Cola Santa is here? Yeah, absolutely. He's somebody you guys should talk to.
I was just telling her a little bit about you. I'm Michelle. To get a hug from Santa. How are you? Merry Christmas to you. Merry Christmas. Just saying that you are the Coca-Cola Santa. Well, Coke has hired a lot of Santas. I have done stuff for Coca-Cola, so that was a wonderful experience.
Wow. What inspired you to want to be Santa? I'm a retired middle school teacher, and I had a dream one night. And in my dream, I was in a hospital dressed as Santa over a little girl on a hospital bed, and I simply just reached down and tapped her hand and said, 'It's going to be okay, honey. Santa's here.' And I woke up and it was like, yeah, I should do that. Sharing love and joy and caring for one another, those are all the things that I got into education for and absolutely loved it. And so now I'm doing it as Santa. My Santa is a lot because of what he's taught me.
Do you have a niece or a nephew at home? I'm going to give you an example of what I do all the time. So what's the name of the person? Tommy and Maddie, my half-sister and brother-in-law. Tommy and Maddie. All right, here we go. Ready?
Hello, Tommy, Maddie. It's me, Santa. Oh my, I'm having such a great time. I'm in Midland, Michigan, and you'll never believe who I found. Hello! We should do something special for you this year. You're going to love it. I can't wait to bring it to you. Merry Christmas, the two of you. Very merry Christmas.
Sixty seconds. Those kids will watch that over and over and over again. Wow. So there you go. Merry Christmas. Yeah, merry Christmas.
What does it mean to be Santa Claus? Well, to be Santa Claus in the professional sense means looking, sounding, and smelling the part. Before I wore the white beard, I wore the pointy ears. It wasn't my true desire, though, and as badly as I wanted to be Santa Claus, I chose instead to be an elf because I didn't think I had what it took to be the big guy. But I still had a suit. I just knew that I could not deny my dreams any longer, so I packed up my elf stuff for good, and I traded it all in to become Santa Claus.
Being Santa Claus means being a source of comfort and a bringer of love, kindness, hope, and heartfelt memories. That is a memory that they will carry with them in their hearts for the rest of their lives, and it makes me even more honored to wear the red suit and to know that I am a member of the Santa Claus family. I'm coming back next year.
Santa Lee helped me realize that putting on the red suit means spreading joy to all children, and that means all children. You want... want for Christmas? What? Merry Christmas, or happy Christmas, because merry means happy. Merry Christmas.
But I can only learn so much from theory. If I've learned anything from Challenge Accepted, it's the importance of trial by fire. And so to better prepare for my final challenge, both Santa Michaels agreed to role-play as children to test my very first attempt at donning the red suit.
You are worried this is going to sell? Obviously. Look at me. So Michael and Michael, aka the Kringle brothers, who have Santa'd for Coca-Cola, are going to give... This is my first time fully donned in the Santa gear, to present my Santa to two of the most iconic Santas of all time. Michael and Michael, here we go.
Is that Michael and Michael? Oh my, how wonderful you are. Have you been good, Michael? I don't know the answer, but I want to hear it from you. Oh yes, I've been doing my best, Santa. Your mother must be so proud of you, Michael.
So Michael two, what would you like for Christmas this year? I would love some brand-new Legos. I saw these Legos that make a sleigh like you come in, and I want those. Oh wow, the Lego set of my very sleigh. Now I know there are limited edition sets of my collaboration with them. However, I'll see what I can do. Oh, thank you, Santa. At the minimum, you can know that on Christmas Eve, my sleigh will be flying right above your house. That would be awesome.
Oh my gosh, that was so stressful. Can I just say that? Really? Was it? Because you guys are pinnacle Santas, and this is amateur Santa. I should have seen you guys after I have gone through the full school. So what's your assessment?
A couple things I'll say with this one: to smooth your outfit out. We'll talk physical things a little bit. We'll smooth that out. Your buckle is offset. Oh no. Your pillow looks like it's... Well, yes. The hat's a different material than the coat. Oh my God. You have a lighter red on top with more of a burgundy on the pants and the jacket itself. Okay. The boots, love the boots, but when you come in, would you say to maybe tuck them in?
The beard, even though that's the first one that I started off with, how did you secure the mustache on it? With the microphone tape. Okay, that's why it's falling. I'm sorry. It's sitting like this, and that mustache comes down so low you can't see your mouth, so it's like you're talking to a... Some children would be afraid of that. Oh my gosh, I'm already scaring children. No, no, no. Remember, we're talking polish. We're not talking heart. The most important thing you had down: your heart.
It was so great to hear their feedback. Obviously there's a lot to improve on. There's a lot of emphasis on character and backstory and improvisation.
And then my other hint to you is remember, you already know us. Santa knows children already. So when you come in, going, 'Oh my, look at the two of you. I think you're taller this year. Yes, you must be eating well. I'm so proud to see you growing.' In other words, I haven't given any fact, but I've made it very personal. 'Oh, he knows me.' Some of those generic framing as you're coming in and working on it is there. Heart's there. Now we can just move into a little bit more personal, a little bit more intimate.
Anytime you're feeling frustrated, we all go through that, all of us. I want you to pick up this coin and remember the joy that you're doing. And every once in a while, when you need that reminder, right, 'I'm spreading joy,' and you just look at that coin and you keep going. You guys are the best. The best.
With my final challenge on the horizon, I was excited to finally see Tom and Holly give a live demonstration to see how the best of the best handle real children. Merry Christmas, boys and girls! Oh my God.
My name is Holly Valent, and I am the assistant to Santa Claus. I'm also the president of the Santa Claus school. I was born December 22nd. As a little girl, my name was Holly. I never liked it because it was a strange name.
How many of you have been real good this year? That's all of them. That's a good sight. You have to have an imagination to have wonder. Children always need reassurance that there's hope and love and joy in the world.
How many feet does she have? Four. Oh, four, that's a lot. Ooh, but you've been so good, Adelyn, so good. Thanks for being... I'll come visit you on Christmas, all right? Christmas Eve. Okay, he'll be there.
Mrs. Claus is something that's really needed in the world today. Mrs. Claus is so important. We found out if I let Holly take the lead, things work good.
Why do... the ears point, the pointed ears? Oh, why do elves have pointed ears? They need good ears to hear in case they're checking on us. That's a good question. That is a good question. They're tough. They ask hard questions.
One of the most surprisingly difficult parts of this challenge has been needing to have such a deep knowledge of Santa Claus lore in order to answer the wide spectrum of questions kids might ask. And sometimes children can ask some pretty bizarre and hyperspecific questions. And so to properly arm myself for the final challenge, I knew I had to bring in the big guns. I was able to convince Holly Valent herself to grill me with her hardest questions. But this time, I was inspired to try not Santa, but Mrs. Claus.
Oh my goodness, it's so cool. Is that a Miss Holly? You are so much bigger this year. Thank you. How are you doing? Wonderful. Where's Santa right now? Well, Santa's preparing all of the toys. Can you come on the sleigh with him on Christmas Eve? Well, this year I'll have to stay home taking care of the elves.
What's your favorite reindeer, then? Well, I can't pick favorites, but Rudolph does have that nose that's just so fun. Is it hot when you touch it? His nose? Yes. Well... And do you ever see the Northern Lights when you fly? Oh, the Northern Lights. It's my favorite part of living at the North Pole.
I would like to go someday. Could you take me? Well, unfortunately, there are too many elves at the North Pole. We're having an overpopulation problem, so we can't fit any more children. But if you close your eyes, hold my hands, and just imagine the cold of the North Pole, the jingle bells, and the lights in the sky. You see it? I do. I feel it. That's exactly what it looks like.
Oh, Bernard the elf is in my ear. He's saying it's time for me to go back to the North Pole. There's too much to handle, and Santa can't do it all himself. He needs a Mrs. Claus. I will see you next year. Thank you very much, Mrs. Claus. Bye-bye.
Okay, you're such a natural. Oh my gosh, how did I do? Give it to me straight. Those are tough questions to answer. Well, you threw me when you asked if Rudolph's nose was hot, because I was like, whatever I say is canonizing the lore. Yes. My Claus universe. That's true. That's one of those trick questions.
Another hard one: "My papa is dying," and you have to swallow and try to act like it's okay. And also they'll ask for their mom to get out of jail. And of course Tom gets these tears in his eyes and gets choked up. It's just really good to have a good heart and have love for children and adults. And I know you have that, Michelle. I don't know you well, but I know you do. Thank you.
After playing Mrs. Claus, I actually felt quite drawn to the character's warmth, kindness, and maternal energy. And honestly, as a kid, I remember there were a few times I was actually afraid of Santa, but Mrs. Claus made me feel more comfortable. And this is something I was excited to learn how to offer to kids.
What do you do if the kids are nervous or scared to speak up at all? You have to bridge to them. You have to physically get close to them. If you can get down to their level so that you're not looming over them, that helps as well, because Santa can be really scary. If you get a nervous child, they have a choice to go to Santa or Mrs. Claus, good chance they're going to go to Mrs. Claus.
So I'm thinking that for my Claus portrayal, I'm actually going to pivot to portraying Mrs. Claus.
Michelle is very young compared to a lot of the Mrs. Santas. She's going to have to figure out a way to age herself a little bit. One little boy came up to me and he said, "Are you Santa's daughter?" You might have that.
I have no idea how we're going to believably pull off the appropriate age of Mrs. Claus, and that's my biggest worry.
For my final challenge, I will have to successfully complete a full Mr. and Mrs. Claus visit for a group of local children at the iconic Santa House, a holiday staple of the Midland community, designed and built by Tom Valent himself.
When Santa's here, the line's a couple hours long, about down the street, to come visit Santa. It was just bare walls when we started it. Tom hand-carved the elves. We bought all the trains from Germany, and so we wanted to make it a house that everyone felt welcome to.
Though this might only be a five-minute interaction for me, for the kids it could be a lifelong core memory. And so we made a few last-minute calls to fly in a special effects makeup team all the way to Michigan to make my Mrs. Claus as convincing as possible.
One little girl came up to me. She said, "Mrs. Claus, I see your brown hair out of your wig." And I'm like, you have to almost do perfection.
And after eight hours in the chair, it was finally time for me to meet the kids, and Tom graciously agreed to be Santa to my Mrs. Claus.
Mrs. Santa, you look great, dear. I figured we're going to do me solo, then you come in, then each of the kids sit on your lap and tell you what they want for Christmas. I'll roll with whatever you come up with. The good thing about Mrs. Claus, it could be whatever in your heart.
Anytime you're feeling frustrated, we all go through that, all of us, I want you to pick up this coin and remember the joy that you're doing, right? I'm spreading joy. And you just look at that coin and you keep going.
Hello! Oh my goodness, you are so much bigger than you were last year. Do you know who I am? I'm Mrs. Claus. Did you see Santa last year? Oh my goodness. Oh, no, no, no, no. We don't hit. We don't hit. Who wants to be on the nice list this year? Me! You do? You do?
And then I just found a frog. You found a frog, but were you nice to the frog? I didn't SM the frog. You didn't? That is wonderful. Yes? What? I can do a flip. Oh my goodness! Oh wow, I'm getting a full talent show.
This reminds me of the elf when we had our talent show at the North Pole. Have you ladies heard of the North Pole? No. It's where we have Santa's workshop to make all the toys for Christmas. Who wants a toy this Christmas? I want a Barbie house. A playhouse for your dolls? Yeah, and a puppy. Oh wow. I'll have to talk to the elves to see what we can do.
Oh, did you hear that? One of the elves, Bernard, he just whispered to me that Santa's coming right now. Raise your hand if you're excited to see. I think that's him. Is that Santa? Santa! Holy peppermint sticks! Oh, Merry Christmas!
They've been so big, aren't they so much bigger than last—oh my gosh. Well, we got one that's a little shy. I used to be shy too. We're so happy to see everyone. Yeah, and it's so nice Mrs. Claus invited me in. Yeah. Well, let—oh, here we go. We're all set. Yeah. Oh, Merry Christmas!
Hold bells for Santa. It's a big responsibility. Can we hold these? A big—
I noticed that Brooklyn was a bit shy, so I wanted to find a better way to include her and create special moments for each of the kids.
Brooklyn, a gift from the North Pole. Thank you. Say thank—thank you. Merry Christmas. Sign.
I didn't know it at the time, but Brooklyn communicates with sign language, and thankfully my Santa mentors had prepared me well.
I honestly had spent so much time worrying about the questions the kids might ask me, but it was really about making the kids feel heard and seen. Whether or not you believe in the magic of Santa, it's undeniable the impact it can have on children, adults, and people of all ages. And that, in my opinion, is the true spirit of the holidays.
Article published · Updated