When the 8- and 9-year-old skeptics challenge his authenticity, Dale Blake huffs out a “ho ho” and tells them to tug on his beard.
It is thick and white, as real as the cameras poised to catch the moment when a tyke joins him in his sled. The act may not totally convince them that he is the authentic Saint Nick, but “it lets their mind wander a bit. It gets them thinking,” Blake, 59, said Saturday.
Since Friday, the Sterling fencing contractor has spent 12 hours a day at Cherry Creek mall posing with some kids and watching others melt into tears when the reality of meeting a myth sinks in.
Blake keeps his beard closely trimmed most of the year. When summer wanes, he lets it grow.
But a full mane of gray hair and frosty beard aren’t the only qualifications, said Virginia Sears, 49, an assistant manager with the photo company, Cherry Hill Photo Enterprises, who was working as a Santa’s assistant at the mall.
“I will sit on their lap, and tug on his beard,” she said.
A Santa has to be soft-spoken, be able to talk easily to a child and be patient. He also has to be able to finesse tough requests — or requests for gifts like puppies and ponies he knows mom and dad do not want under the tree.
They are paid $12 to $17 an hour and may visit with hundreds of kids during a 12-hour shift.
Some leave him a wet spot to remember them by. “They do get piddled on. We have extra suits or if it’s not terrible, we keep some Shout and some Febreze to wipe it up with.
“If it is bad, we tell the kids he has to go feed the reindeer,” Sears said.
Among those waiting in line to visit Blake on Saturday was Faith Nuffer, 4.
Faith saw Santa at the mall last year but was too frightened to enjoy the visit much, said her father, Bruce Nuffer. When asked if she might be scared this time, she shook her head no.
The wait for Santa was a nice diversion, said Bruce Nuffer, whose wife was shopping. “I am hoping Mom can get all our shopping done while we are in line,” he said.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
