Episode Transcript
[00:00:06] Speaker A: What an episode we have for you today. One of my dear friends is on this episode, Eddie Cotter, one of my best and oldest friends. And I interview him about what it's like to be a Rockefeller Center Santa. We're not just talking like a run of the mill mall Santa. And if you're watching your mall Santa, I mean, God bless you, you're awesome too. But this is like the Santa gig and I thought it would be a cool interview. I didn't expect to cry multiple times. I couldn't believe how much this moved me. But the most important part of the interview is when Eddie steps out and Santa actually comes in. So today you're gonna watch me legit interview Santa Claus.
You don't want to miss this.
Welcome to the Chris Stefanik Show. We're here every week to help you live in the joy that God came to bring the world.
Hallelujah. If you're a missionary, joy. Thank you for helping us spread that joy. A guy wrote me the other day and said that he was struggling so much with depression and with suicidal thoughts even and talked about how much our call to joy has helped him. And he said, I'm giving because I want to help other people find that joy too.
So guys, if you want to help other people find the joy to the world that Jesus came and was born and died to give us, click below this video and become a missionary of joy. I want to thank our friends at ewtn. This episode is sponsored in part by ewtn. You can catch this and so much more on EWTN plus Streaming link is below in the show notes. And I want to inspire you every day with the joy of the Lord. Sign up for the daily Anchorage. Don't get Left out. Over 100,000 people open that every day and are finding fresh inspiration to live the life they were made for. And one last thing, make sure you visit deadtheologiansociety.com my dear friend Eddie oversees an incredible youth ministry movement. He's been overseeing it for years. It's so cool. It does so much good in parishes as young people Just study the lives and teachings of the saints. And I want you to check out his book about one liners from the saints. The link is below in the show notes. It's easy, it's digestible. It gives me a boost every day.
Enough of that. Let's dive in and hang out with Santa.
It is so good to have you.
[00:02:41] Speaker B: What can you say?
[00:02:42] Speaker A: I know, where do you go from there, man?
[00:02:45] Speaker B: It's just keeps Getting better all the time.
[00:02:48] Speaker A: I love you, brother.
[00:02:49] Speaker B: The feeling is mutual.
[00:02:50] Speaker A: What made you want to be a Santa?
Tell me the backstory.
[00:02:53] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:02:54] Speaker A: Behind Santa, Eddie.
[00:02:55] Speaker B: I'd be happy to. Well, you know, people can remember their earliest memories in life many times, and some of my very first memories in life was being in the car and my mom and dad driving myself and my sister Chris to downtown Lazarus in Columbus, Ohio, to see Santa Claus.
And I have to tell you, I get chills now talking about it, because for us, meeting Santa was the closest thing to meeting Jesus for real. I mean, here you have this warm, loving person who knows you and represents goodness and loves you and wants you to be happy.
It still gives me chills, honestly. And, you know, the work that I've done over the years and.
But I remember that some of my earliest memories, and it was just seeing all of it was just so magical, but it was all so good, and it just fit. It was part of our Christmases, you know, and we always knew that Christmas, of course, was the birth of Jesus. Yeah. Going to see Santa Claus was like visiting a saint. That's Saint Nicholas. That's huge. So that was one of my earliest memories. Now, moving ahead many, many, many, many years.
I have a grandson, little Theo, who's autistic.
And his parents were telling my daughter Maeve one afternoon, was kind of lamenting, as he was hitting about 4 years old, that he couldn't like going to the mall and waiting in line, and all of that could be overwhelming for him.
And, you know, mother wants her little boy to have that Santa experience and sweet as can be. And I said, well, let Papa work on that. Maybe I have some ideas. You're Papa.
[00:04:50] Speaker A: I'm Papa, too.
[00:04:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:51] Speaker A: I love Papa.
[00:04:52] Speaker B: It's a great name.
[00:04:53] Speaker A: Yeah, man, it's the best.
[00:04:54] Speaker B: So anyway, I was driving home through the country, and I passed a little gift shop, kind of isolated. We didn't want to pick a place that Little Theo would know, but we wanted to give him the Santa, St. Nick experience.
So I just pulled in the parking lot, and I went in and met Ginny, the owner. And I just introduced myself, and I said, jenny, could you let me use this place so my little grandson could have a Santa Claus experience?
And God bless her, she lit up and said, follow me. And she went out to. It was like an arts and crafts store.
She went out to the barn and found a Santa chair, and she said, absolutely. And she offered to open up on her day off just so little Theo could have his St. Nick experience. Yeah. So it was so beautiful. So I went home then this was a few months before Christmas.
I ordered a kind of a mid level Santa suit that I could afford and it came with the artificial beard and hair and stuff. Yeah. But put it all on.
Sure enough, few days before Christmas, we had it all set up. Jenny in her arts and crafts store had the chair set up and some Christmas music and the holly and greenery and everything.
And it was great. So my. My son and daughter and Theo's dad and my wife Katie, everyone came out.
And up to this point, I should probably mention, Theo wasn't too verbal outside of his mom and dad.
And so they were hoping the Santa.
[00:06:29] Speaker A: Experience would go well.
[00:06:30] Speaker B: Well, he came in and Santa had a stuffed Mickey Mouse for him.
And all of a sudden you could see like the smiles come out, you know, and.
And then he got his gift from Santa and then went out and we sat in a sleigh and he put his hand in mine.
And then when it was time to leave, he turned around, he said, bye.
And it was like a breakthrough. Like, I'm having a hard time now because it's so vivid. And after that happened and he wasn't.
[00:07:02] Speaker A: Saying bye to people up in his hand and theirs.
[00:07:04] Speaker B: No, no. And to see the joy in his parents.
So when they left, as I was in the parking lot, I honestly said, lord, this experience could happen for a lot of people, for a lot of people.
So if you want me to do this, I'm in. But help me if I need to be changed more internally, to have the heart of St. Nicholas, help me with that. Help me to be kinder, more, even more joyful, more other centered, a better giver, patience.
All those things that embody St. Nicholas, help me become that so that it's authentic. I know I'm choking up my voices, but this is the way it goes. This is real life.
And I said, and then I said, and if I need to do some changing on the outside, well, that happened too.
Weirdest thing. Then it was just a couple days later. I'm in the office supply place. They had some holy cards made for dead Theologian society.
There's a young African American girl, probably 19 or 20 years old. She's the clerk. I'm checking out.
She said, excuse me, I didn't have this at the time.
She said, have you ever worked in a mall or anything? I said, no. I said, why do you ask?
She kind of leaned forward and said, I think you're Santa Claus.
[00:08:31] Speaker A: You gotta be kidding me, man.
[00:08:32] Speaker B: No.
So that Was like kind of a quick affirmation and then. So cool. Moving ahead to the following October.
[00:08:45] Speaker A: At this time, you were 90 pounds.
I was about 60 and hairless.
[00:08:49] Speaker B: I was 60 pounds and bald and no hair.
[00:08:51] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: Looked like et long fingers.
So that following October, my wife Katie gives me the gift of paying my tuition to go to the Harvard of Santa schools, the oldest Santa school in the world, called the Charles W. Howard Santa School up in Michigan.
[00:09:13] Speaker A: Before you tell, I want to hear about the Santa school.
[00:09:15] Speaker B: What's required?
[00:09:16] Speaker A: You literally have transformed. Like, your daughter Maeve is like, dad. You're like Tim Allen.
[00:09:21] Speaker B: She got. She started calling me Tim Allen because all of a sudden your beard did.
[00:09:26] Speaker A: Not look that way.
[00:09:26] Speaker B: I know, I know. It started coming out and just growing and it's like. And then my belly's gotten, like, more round, like a bowl full of jelly. You know what's striking about your belly?
[00:09:40] Speaker A: I say this about your belly. I've never talked about one of my guest bellies before. It's not even like a doughy thing. It's got a firm Santa shake going on.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: Well, you can't deliver toys around the world and be too soft.
[00:09:51] Speaker A: No, you can't. You have.
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[00:11:19] Speaker B: So all this starts happening. My daughter, Maeve, you know, Theo's mom would come over and say, like, wow. She started calling me Tim Allen from the Santa Claus movie. And then she said, now I really know you're losing it. Because she'd come visit us in July. And I got Christmas trees up in the house.
[00:11:35] Speaker A: I noticed this. I was at your house.
It was like, February. It was long after Christmas.
[00:11:40] Speaker B: Oh, way longer.
[00:11:41] Speaker A: I'm like, you left it up for a while. I was like, no, no, this is staying all year, man.
[00:11:44] Speaker B: We got like, eight Christmas trees in the house. Now my wife, who's now Mrs. Claus, because she's married to me whether she wants to be or not, I can't leave all the colored lights on and stuff. So she packs stuff away. We have some, like, little clear lights. We have this serene Christmas village in our house and a big, beautiful sign that says believe, because that's for, you know, it's believe in our faith. Believe in God, and keep that.
That belief in goodness, in the spirit. Sorry, this is funny thing. I called my wife this morning and I said, you know, preparing for this show because, you know, I've become a Santa since then. I've had some magnificent experiences.
But being on this show and digging back to the genesis of all this has really messed me up in a good way. It's been very emotional because to see the joy in Theo.
In Theo and the goodness. So I finished Santa school. I graduate, and I've also did, like, online courses on the worldwide Santa network, which is called the Stanford West Coast Santa Ed Taylor. So I had, like, six months of training there, and by that time, then I had good suits made that are.
[00:13:01] Speaker A: Like serious, serious suits. Like, you don't want to check these in an airline.
[00:13:05] Speaker B: Leather boots. I mean, Adeles of Hollywood, these are.
[00:13:08] Speaker A: Like thousands of dollars. They are the top pro Santa suits are no joke.
[00:13:11] Speaker B: Everything I make as a youth minister, which is kind of been invested in this kind of apostolate, because again, what I love about it, too, is, you know, Santa Claus and Saint Nick are the same. Yeah. You know, as cultures and things. There's some adaptations, some change of look. And in the 1930s, Coca Cola kind of grabbed on and they painted renditions of Santa. But anyway. But it's such a holy thing because all the genesis of all this, Chris, is that holy night in Bethlehem.
Can I share an experience I had? Yeah.
[00:13:43] Speaker A: Now, note, though, we are going to have Santa actually here on the show.
[00:13:48] Speaker B: That's what I've heard.
[00:13:50] Speaker A: Is this something he should share or are you going to share it?
[00:13:52] Speaker B: No, I want to share this one.
[00:13:52] Speaker A: Oh, you share this one. We'll ask Santa other questions, but.
[00:13:55] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, he can answer anything.
[00:13:56] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay.
[00:13:57] Speaker B: Good, good. So I say I got a good suit and the whole deal.
And all of a sudden I get a call. I did a couple little events, some home visits, and had my diploma and did the training and had the good suit and my Catholic upbringing. So I'm not living a double life as far as I'm like a drunk fighter off the side and then Santa on the weekends kind of thing. Try to be consistent.
[00:14:25] Speaker A: Why does Santa smell like cheese and beer?
[00:14:27] Speaker B: Beef and cheese.
[00:14:28] Speaker A: Beef and cheese.
[00:14:28] Speaker B: And that was one of the PR I had, actually was like, you know, Santa, Santa, Lord help me to become authentic. So that. And they say, especially when you have a real beard.
[00:14:38] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:39] Speaker B: That you can't play Santa anymore. If you're going to do the real beard, you have to become Santa. Meaning you have to embody to the best of your ability those virtues of kindness and goodness. Like, I'm not. I can't ever be rude to someone in a store or in traffic because you never know what little kid could be watching. And as time goes on, it's starting to happen a little more frequently. Especially a child with their parents will kind of think, you know, who's that?
[00:15:05] Speaker A: Santa.
[00:15:06] Speaker B: Yeah. And so I could never crush them by being a jerk in public.
[00:15:11] Speaker A: You know, kindness is a hard thing. It's a fruit of the Holy Spirit. People nowadays see kindness as, you know, not strong, as a Christian should be based. So he can be based and go to hell. He really can be.
[00:15:23] Speaker B: Meekness isn't weakness.
[00:15:25] Speaker A: No, totally.
[00:15:26] Speaker B: And I'm also, even at home, you know, I tried to be better, you know, better husband, too. And even so, times when I lose my temper, some Katie will say, you're not being Santa Claus.
[00:15:38] Speaker A: You're not being Santa Claus.
[00:15:39] Speaker B: And it kind of like, it's a good reminder. So being a Santa Claus portrayal artist has helped me become a better person. You know, I've told you before, I would love to meet someday, you know, Jonathan Roumie, because I know, and I watch documentaries how it's the fact that he played Jesus, that responsibility on the in between.
He needs to be consistent, you know, to be more Christ like.
And I'd love to be able to say, you know, Jonathan on a smaller basis. But times of year, Santa's a pretty big deal. Oh, dude.
[00:16:07] Speaker A: The most famous person in the universe certain times of year.
[00:16:09] Speaker B: Yes. Did I understand. And to try to emulate that and be a proper representative of St. Nick all the time. Plenty of. I got to tell you. So, you know, I've started to do a couple shows and private parties and things. Did a pizza commercial and stuff. Did you?
[00:16:27] Speaker A: Yeah, there's actual money in Santa in the Santa biz.
Not that that's what it's all about, but like, you could make a living as a Santa in a couple months.
[00:16:35] Speaker B: If you hit the right gigs.
[00:16:36] Speaker A: Yeah, that's crazy.
[00:16:37] Speaker B: Especially, see auto dealers, they pay good money.
[00:16:39] Speaker A: Really?
[00:16:40] Speaker B: Yeah, because there was a guy in my class, he got like 20 grand from one of the car companies just through a any for like a 30 second commercial and no talking. And he kind of. And when he asked him, how can you pay me this kind of money? And they just basically said, santa, you make us millions. Because there's a good feeling when people see Santa Claus generally, you know, and they should. So I'm not in it for the money. Yeah. But if it ever happens, more to give away, you know how he'll book.
[00:17:03] Speaker A: You, by the way, he can fly with his gear.
What's your website? What is it?
[00:17:09] Speaker B: Santaeddicotter.com.
[00:17:10] Speaker A: Okay. We'll put it below the video.
[00:17:11] Speaker B: And there's different agencies to the book Santas.
[00:17:14] Speaker A: That's so cool.
[00:17:15] Speaker B: At the different places, there's different agents. Well, anyway, so I'm new. My rookie season, some of. My son. My son Rory went to college with this great Jewish kid from Brooklyn or the Bronx. Brooklyn, sorry, Eli, if I get it wrong. And his buddies, they knew me, they'd been in our house. And some of those guys, they work down in Rockefeller Center.
And I get the text from Eli, he says, hey, what are you doing, Santa? Do you want to come to Rockefeller center and be Santa? And I'm thinking, are you kidding me? That's it.
[00:17:46] Speaker A: That's the job.
[00:17:47] Speaker B: That's it for this.
That's like the center of the universe at Christmas time.
So I said, I will.
My son and my nephew are Santa's security detail. And they're really helpful. I mean, they have the mics and military background and athletic background. They're very gentlemanly. They have the suits on like a Christmas scarf.
[00:18:09] Speaker A: So epic. We'll show their pictures and they help.
[00:18:11] Speaker B: Get me through the crowd. Very kindly, you know, help me get moving. Anyway, so I get there and I have a driver and all of a sudden we. It's rush hour on Friday and there's not a parking place anywhere.
[00:18:22] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:18:23] Speaker B: But right when we get to St. Patrick's Cathedral, miraculously a car pulls out and we're right there. We pull right in. There's the first Christmas miracle.
Santa's guards, my security detail, they come out, open the door, Chris. I have to tell you, from the second I got out of the car, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people, every shape, size, color, gender, everything. Santa. Santa. Get pictured. Santa hugs.
It was so overwhelming of love and goodness.
And then we're getting ready to cross the street. I look out, and it's like being in the center of a Christmas movie with 4,000 extras all waving Santa. Big tough New York dudes going, looking good, Santa. And people are. And I got some of these Jewish buddies of my son. They're video, and they're saying, we live in New York City. We see everything. You know, politicians, music, celebrities, whatever.
No big deal. They're saying, we've never seen anything like this. It's like you're the center of the universe. And I'm realizing what a responsibility, because they're not doing it for Eddie Cotter.
They're here for Santa Claus, for seeing.
And I've got to tell you, having seen Pope St. John Paul the Great and how he'd go through a crowd and not shush anyone aside or I made sure it took 45 minutes to walk a block.
Anyone who wanted a picture or something got one.
And then I got to the chair, and it was another four hours. And it was magical. The love, the goodness, the goodwill. And it's like, yeah, this is real. It's real.
I tell my wife, I get choked up. I'm sorry to all your viewers. I can't help it anymore.
[00:20:06] Speaker A: I get choked up listening.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: The amount of love that I received in New York City at Rockefeller Center.
I tell my wife I'll never live long enough to give it back. That's why I get choked up now, to ever give it back. And I know it's not for me. It's for St. Nicholas. It's for Santa.
So it's beautiful. And then equally the next day, I did one gig on Christmas, and it was a woman who was quite ill. And in her words, she wanted to have a final Christmas for her children and grandkids.
So I go from thousands in New York City to about seven, a family about seven or eight in a little neighborhood.
And it was every bit as profound and beautiful and rich.
And like I said, it rips me up because that goodness is so important now. And St. Nicholas, the St. Nicholas, Santa Israel, St. Nicholas, you know, he's real.
That. That spirit and that lives, you know, we've done shows about St. Patrick in the past of, you know, walking in the footsteps of the saints, ultimately to get in an imitation of Jesus Christ. You know, these saints help us get there more. You know, St. Nicholas, everything he embodies, the world needs.
[00:21:25] Speaker A: Amen.
[00:21:25] Speaker B: And I saw it in New York City, all those thousands of people, they were united in a spirit of love and goodness. And it didn't matter at that time, the political differences or religious differences, there was just. I was overwhelmed by it.
[00:21:40] Speaker A: And man, that's.
[00:21:41] Speaker B: And it's just been a real blessing in my life to do this. So, you know, probably in the fourth quarter of my life, you know, and to be able to be a representative of St. Nicholas, Santa Claus is a great honor. When I'm gone, St. Nicholas and Santa will live on. So right now I have the baton in my little part of the world and I want to do it right, you know, so it's just a beautiful thing. So to see the joy in parents, you know, the little kids, sometimes the one year olds are screaming. And I don't blame them because you can always say, if you're going to have pictures with a one year old son, mom, hold your baby and be in the picture. To hand off to the big man with the white beard and stuff, it's terrifying.
I'd be screaming if I were out in high school. My mom and dad did that to me. But I'm saying. But to see the joy in the little kids and their wishes and dreams and hopes, and then to see the joy in their parents, it's like goodness of an old traditional Christmas. It's a beautiful thing.
[00:22:36] Speaker A: There is something so true communicated through the story that is Santa. Now you have a historical figure, but then you have all the myth around it.
[00:22:44] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:22:45] Speaker A: You know, and I was talking about this with my wife and my son Joey were talking about this the other day, preparing for this interview. And my son Joey, your godson. My godson, who's now in Steubenville, Ohio, as a college sophomore.
[00:22:58] Speaker B: Wonderful young man.
[00:22:58] Speaker A: Yeah, he's incredible. But he's like, gosh, I just, I'm infuriated when people don't want to do Santa because they think it's not true. He's like, you're attacking childhood.
[00:23:07] Speaker B: Right?
[00:23:07] Speaker A: Like there's, there's. When we're reflecting on how there's something truer than true in myth.
[00:23:13] Speaker B: In myth, yes.
[00:23:15] Speaker A: You know, in Genesis, God could have written a scientific history about the big bang, but there's something even a weightier truth than the scientific truths.
[00:23:24] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:23:25] Speaker A: Through the mythological genre. That is no less true. That is the book of Genesis. It's more true than scientific truths.
[00:23:33] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:23:34] Speaker A: You know. You know what I mean by more true? And there's something about the whole Santa mystery. I love thinking of my. My sister Kimmy, who's probably watching because she came and visited you in Rockefeller Center. Yeah, yeah. And I get choked up.
[00:23:45] Speaker B: I know.
[00:23:49] Speaker A: I know.
This is how it is. Crying Santa, come on, dude. But she.
[00:23:53] Speaker B: I remember her.
[00:23:54] Speaker A: We were driving back from my aunt's house on Christmas Eve, and she. She was, you know, older than. It would have been cool to believe in Santa. She's probably like 13, 12, 13. She'd be looking out the window.
Just wait.
[00:24:09] Speaker B: Yes, yes.
[00:24:11] Speaker A: You know, just waiting to see something zip across the sky, you know, but that awakens the soul to the reality of God and to the mystery that, like most of reality, we don't see. I know at face value, there's angels around and there's saints and there's a.
[00:24:24] Speaker B: Whole beauty in this. Just like you take the word love well, that's. It takes people to manifest what love is. You know what I mean? And, like, when it comes to all the. What Christmas really is.
[00:24:38] Speaker A: Sorry to pull it together.
Think mean thoughts. Okay, go ahead.
[00:24:41] Speaker B: Notice how I froze up. Circus. Yeah. Dramatic. Very dramatic pause.
Then St. Nick, Santa Claus and, you know, Santa Claus. The Dutch called it Sinterklaas, which is St. Nicholas. So Santa Claus. So, you know, again, culturally, there's been some shifts here, some different portrayals and things, but St. Nicholas is the genesis of it. And even going deeper, of course, it's the birth of Jesus Christ.
[00:25:06] Speaker A: Amen.
[00:25:06] Speaker B: So to see that people need to keep that spirit alive. I was going to say something there, and I just forgot. So if you have another question.
[00:25:14] Speaker A: I do. Well, I mean, we only have a few more minutes with you because the couch is not big enough for you and Santa.
[00:25:20] Speaker B: I understand.
[00:25:20] Speaker A: And we are going to have Santa on in a few minutes. We're not going to give you all the time today.
[00:25:24] Speaker B: Sure. I appreciate that.
[00:25:26] Speaker A: What goes into Santa's school, How intense is this?
[00:25:29] Speaker B: It's magnificent. The Charles W. Howard school. Tom and Holly Valent, they're the deans of the school.
It's been going since the 1930s, and they didn't have it that long. They're not that old. But Charles W. Howard was one of the first who took and kind of made a uniformity, tried to make the Santa portrayal artists more than just, you know, want to try to make, like, kind of A standardization to have some behavior and some style suit to make it a better experience for young people in department stores and things. So. But the school you learn, their emphasis is more on developing the heart of Santa. What Santa is knowing the history and the importance. You know, men who are Santa portrayal artists, you know, you can't have the weirdos and stuff. You know, like, there's police background checks, and that's good. There's liability insurance, which is good. I was impressed with the men. There were probably about230,240 people, and now there's about 20%. That Mrs. Claus is becoming very important, especially the number of kids who either are autistic or have had some abuse. And sometimes approaching big Santa could be a bit much if someone. So having Mrs. Claus there has been her role is very important.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: That's awesome.
[00:26:50] Speaker B: So you learn about, of course, history, you learn some sign language, you learn. There was toy making. All of a sudden, Cassandra's a toy maker. He's one of the patrons of toy makers. And we made wooden toys. And there's one of the great things, too. There's the sleigh experience.
[00:27:08] Speaker A: Oh, you learned to ride the sleigh?
[00:27:10] Speaker B: Yes. You get. Climb this little ladder. And there's a sleigh. It's big.
[00:27:14] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:14] Speaker B: And there's eight. No, there's nine. They had Rudy, I think Rudolph. Really? There's like life size, like mechanical reindeer. And you got the reins.
[00:27:25] Speaker A: It's not as simple as it looks.
[00:27:27] Speaker B: No. Because when you start to operate the reins, the reindeer start to move. And if all of a sudden you do it real bad and they'll flip backwards. So you have to be able to.
[00:27:36] Speaker A: It's a thing.
[00:27:37] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:27:38] Speaker A: I had no idea.
[00:27:39] Speaker B: And then, then you recite now, Now, Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and Vixen on Comet, on Cupid, on Don, on Blitzen. To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall. Now dash away, dash away, dash away all Merry Christmas.
And you got the thing going and it's like, wow.
It's like one of the. It's one of the final hurdles to getting your diploma. But I just. And like I said, I love the fact that at the school, they really emphasized it was like the traditional Christmas.
[00:28:12] Speaker A: And you're learning stuff. Like you shared with me about the white gloves, the importance of like.
[00:28:16] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:28:16] Speaker A: They're taking pictures. So you see the white gloves, you.
[00:28:19] Speaker B: See where your hands are? Yeah.
[00:28:21] Speaker A: Everything's normal.
[00:28:22] Speaker B: Yeah. And you have to learn these things and not stumble into a gray area where You?
[00:28:26] Speaker A: Yeah. Like some kid accuses of something that didn't happen.
[00:28:29] Speaker B: Absolutely. I was impressed. Like I said, the men that were in the class, a lot of them are former first responders.
That's cool. That's really cool. Yeah. So the whole. The experience was pretty magnificent. But again, for me, seeing the joy in little Theo.
Yeah.
And it set me on this other apostolate now.
And it's just, again, I've never lived long enough to properly articulate the amount of goodness that can happen through being a representative of St. Nick.
[00:29:07] Speaker A: And this is why you're celebrating Christmas.
[00:29:08] Speaker B: All year, all the time. Yeah.
[00:29:11] Speaker A: This is not being filmed. This is filmed like a month before we're airing this and we're sitting around watching Little Drummer Boy crying. We'll play the clip of that real quick.
[00:29:21] Speaker B: I know.
[00:29:22] Speaker A: And this is what you do on a regular night in July. You got your Christmas trees and you're watching Hallmark Christmas shows with your wife.
[00:29:27] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:28] Speaker A: It's a little strange, but I love it. Really. But it shouldn't be. Like we talk about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Why not the birth all year round?
[00:29:34] Speaker B: Come on, let's think about this family over. Middle of the summer, and my nephew, who's one of my security guys, he, you know, I'm in there watching Miracle on 34th street and it's June or something.
[00:29:46] Speaker A: Saint Claus. Good points.
[00:29:47] Speaker B: Yeah. And all of a sudden they're going, he's watching Christmas things. And my nephew, who played football for the Badgers, says, hey, Uncle Eddie's watching film. It's almost like the athletes watch film. So almost every day, my bulldog Kevin and myself take about an hour and a half siesta, and we watch Christmas films and listen to Christmas music. And the sad thing is, it never gets old. So it's kind of sick.
The new term of sick, meaning great and sick. It's just what it is. Because how can you turn something off?
[00:30:22] Speaker A: Yeah, man.
[00:30:23] Speaker B: And I still, you know, I don't walk around in a red suit every day and stuff like that. So even in working dead theologian society and stuff, there's just this energy because I think I've been infused by thousands and thousands of people and experiences that you can't get enough. It changes you. It's beautiful.
[00:30:43] Speaker A: I would keep talking to you. Yeah, But I'm not asking you about St. Nicholas, but I'd rather just talk directly to him.
If you could go get him.
[00:30:51] Speaker B: I'll go get him. I just want to say I appreciate the time talking with me about this. And it Was good to have you.
[00:30:57] Speaker A: On for a little bit of the show.
[00:30:58] Speaker B: A little bit. Yeah. So it's good to have you on, man.
[00:31:01] Speaker A: We'll have you back again to talk about St. Patrick.
[00:31:03] Speaker B: Sounds good.
[00:31:03] Speaker A: St. Patrick's Day.
[00:31:04] Speaker B: Thanks, all, buddy. Love you, too. Thanks for being out.
[00:31:06] Speaker A: Thanks a lot.
[00:31:06] Speaker B: See you.
[00:31:06] Speaker A: Yeah, see ya.
So we'll just. We'll hang out and wait for Santa to come on the show.
Not gonna lie. Pretty excited for Santa to come in the room right now.
Oh, my gosh. I hear Santa.
Chris, It's the Santa.
Oh, man.
[00:31:56] Speaker B: Perfect.
Perfect.
[00:31:58] Speaker A: Hallelujah.
What an honor to have Santa on my show right now.
[00:32:08] Speaker B: Chris. It's an honor to be here.
[00:32:11] Speaker A: I have so many questions I want to ask you about your life.
[00:32:13] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:32:14] Speaker A: Before I do that, my grandkids are in the sound booth, probably losing their mind because they want to come meet.
[00:32:21] Speaker B: Santa, so I want to meet them, too.
[00:32:23] Speaker A: Let's have the grandkids come in. Can you take this? Then can I hold the staff? The Santa staff?
[00:32:28] Speaker B: Yes. You can even ring the bell.
[00:32:30] Speaker A: No way.
Yeah, buddy.
Dude, these are gorgeous. Gorgeous.
Look at her face.
[00:32:45] Speaker B: Hi, Maeve. How are you?
[00:32:49] Speaker A: I know you.
[00:32:51] Speaker B: You are a good girl.
You are good. Is that river?
[00:32:54] Speaker A: And it's river.
[00:32:55] Speaker B: Oh, boy.
[00:32:56] Speaker A: Do you have something for Santa?
Give that to Santa.
Give that to Santa.
[00:33:01] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:33:02] Speaker A: Yeah, you give it to.
[00:33:07] Speaker B: Why, my Christ. Oh, thank you very much.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: I know, right?
[00:33:11] Speaker B: You brought these for Santa. Thank you so very much.
Oh, that's just wonderful.
I remember you when you were a little girl.
She's one of the best little kids ever. And she's your mom now.
You're a good girl, too, because we know each other.
You're a good. And I love to. Your dress. That look. That's me in the sled.
My goodness.
Thank you so much for the cookies.
This is just fabulous. Thank you so much.
[00:33:43] Speaker A: Hey, this is. This one's.
[00:33:45] Speaker B: They sure do. And I love those.
Love the hummus.
They're gonna go right in there.
This one's for Maeve.
Oh, Santa brought you something.
Thank you very much.
I know it's not Christmas yet, but you're such a good girl, and we have such a good time. I want to give this to you now.
You can open it, too, if you like.
What do we got?
You like that? You're very welcome.
You're very welcome.
[00:34:35] Speaker A: Remember, this one's like.
[00:34:37] Speaker B: Thank you. Let's open this one next year. He'll be grabbing.
[00:34:40] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. He's like. He's not into material possessions. He's Beyond.
[00:34:44] Speaker B: He's not materialistic.
[00:34:49] Speaker A: All right, give Santa a hug.
[00:34:51] Speaker B: Say thank you.
Thank you. Maeve, you want to get a picture together right here? How about you want to sit her up here? Come on up here. Right.
[00:35:03] Speaker A: That felt like a sacred moment.
[00:35:06] Speaker B: It was.
It was. And I'll tell you, Chris, it never gets old.
And I remember you when you were a little boy, the good kid, your hopes and dreams. You wanted a good. You wanted to be happy in life and to see you fulfill those dreams and marry a beautiful woman who. I remember her as a little girl. She had similar.
And to see good kids grow up and have. And make good kids, it's just a beautiful thing.
And so you're very blessed, and I'm very happy to be here. I think it's wonderful.
[00:35:40] Speaker A: Santa, what have you learned about humanity looking at people through the eyes of Santa?
Because you meet all kinds of people.
[00:35:47] Speaker B: When you're in Times Square.
Yes.
[00:35:50] Speaker A: And for 700 years or more.
1700 years.
[00:35:55] Speaker B: I'm sorry, you fought Arius. Yes.
Yeah, it's interesting about that. You know, I was at the Council of Nicaea, and this popular priest was preaching some heresy.
[00:36:07] Speaker A: Yeah. Arius, bad guy.
[00:36:09] Speaker B: And I lost my temper.
[00:36:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:11] Speaker B: But I try not to talk about that too much because I try to represent goodness and kindness and even temperedness.
But I also am not soft.
And he pushed the too many buttons, and I got in trouble because I threw a punch at him.
[00:36:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:28] Speaker B: But it's in the past.
It's in the past.
[00:36:31] Speaker A: People grow up over 1700 years, you.
[00:36:34] Speaker B: Know, and what I've learned is that there are some things that unite a very fragmented world.
And the love, the goodness, the joy, the dreams and aspirations that people have, we share that in our humanity. Even people who are on a wrong track, I think, in our own lost way, sometimes are searching for happiness, searching for purpose. They want someone to love them. They want someone to love, and that's a unifier. And as Saint Nick, Santa, the rule, in addition to being a toy maker, you know, all those kind of things, is to represent and to manifest the love that came from that very sacred night in Bethlehem, that holy, holy night when God came into the world. And to be able to take that and in that spirit of that first Christmas, to share that with the world and let people know that you've heard the legend of. There's a naughty list and a nice list I always want people to know.
Many of us at times in our life would find ourselves on that naughty list, but if they are, it's Not a permanent thing. There's always room to come back on the nice list.
Always.
And it's a wonderful thing to celebrate when someone who's been on that naughty list, which isn't supposed to be punitive, it's supposed to be a little nudge to turn things around.
So never, ever give up hope.
Always believe in the goodness, in generosity, in love, in kindness, in trying to be other centered versus self centered.
And what I've learned is if we can do that, the world can come together beautifully. I've seen it many places for many, many, many, many years.
And so again, it never gets old. It's always a beautiful thing. It gives you hope.
[00:38:36] Speaker A: I never thought of this before, but hearing you say it right now, the naughty nice list. This is a literal preaching of the gospel and call to repentance.
[00:38:43] Speaker B: It is.
[00:38:44] Speaker A: And hope and redemption for every human being.
[00:38:46] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:38:47] Speaker A: Am I on the nice list this year?
[00:38:52] Speaker B: Well, you know, I check it twice.
[00:38:53] Speaker A: You do? Okay.
[00:38:54] Speaker B: And when I get back, I'll check it. I'll check it.
There's always hope. So right at this moment, you probably are. But I'm going to check it and I'll get back to you.
[00:39:05] Speaker A: I mean, only the Lord knows the heart. You know, I try to look good in front of the camera, but there's all sorts of stuff Santa sees with Jesus.
[00:39:12] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:39:12] Speaker A: Have you ever given anyone coal?
[00:39:14] Speaker B: Oh, yes. You've heard the legend of the coal?
[00:39:16] Speaker A: I have.
[00:39:17] Speaker B: I'll tell you how that started. That actually started in the 1700s in England.
@ that time, most people's homes, cottages were heated with coal.
Coal was the heat source.
There was a little boy. His name was Jimmy Hyatt.
And Jimmy was self centered. He had become self centered. He was nasty to his brothers and sisters.
He was disrespectful of his mom and dad.
He was even kind of cruel to the animals in the neighborhood, his own pets.
But as Christmas approached, Jimmy was certain that he would get toys from Santa.
I wanted to give him toys, but I wanted him to turn things around even more than just giving him toys. That wouldn't have helped Jimmy.
So I did. That night when he was asleep, I took a piece of coal and I set it next to his bed on his nightstand.
And I put a little note and it said, jimmy, look at this coal.
Coal keeps a house warm, a family warm.
You need to develop a warm heart.
You're lacking a warm heart right now, Jimmy. So for the year, I'd like you to keep this coal with you as a reminder to develop A warm.
[00:40:34] Speaker A: Heart. I had no idea that's the origin.
[00:40:36] Speaker B: Of.
[00:40:37] Speaker A: Yeah. It's a call to what we should.
[00:40:38] Speaker B: Be.
[00:40:39] Speaker A: Yes. And not a symbol of blackness and.
[00:40:41] Speaker B: Darkness. That's right. It's a reminder. And I have to say, I was so happy that Jimmy did turn things around and Santa rewarded him well. That following Christmas for the extra effort and to turn things.
[00:40:54] Speaker A: Around. What a great.
[00:40:55] Speaker B: Tale. So when people get the coal, it's just a reminder that their heart needs some work and that Santa's in their corner rooting for them.
And a year can go by quickly and Santa won't forget. And there's always room to get back on the nice.
[00:41:11] Speaker A: List.
That's epic. Where did the stockings come from? Where's the tradition of the.
[00:41:18] Speaker B: Stockings?
That goes way back. Okay.
So, as you know, maybe you know, I was born in a Greek fishing village on the Mediterranean Sea.
It's now part of modern day Turkey. The town of Patara.
Down the road was Myra, which later on became bishop of.
And the stocking there was when my parents passed away. My parents were wealthy and they were Christians. They gave me a good upbringing, and they passed from an epidemic. I was a young man, barely more than 18 or 19 years old, and they left me their wealth.
And because of the Christian upbringing that I received, I quickly tried to distribute this wealth to others, to the Luarladapur.
There was one gentleman, wonderful man. He had been successful, but had fallen upon hard times. He had three beautiful daughters. And he worried terribly that he would never have a dowry, which, you know, is like some money, some thing to bring into a wedding, which was a requirement for the daughter to get married, for him to have the arranged marriage back in those days with a good husband. And he feared without a dowry that his girls would be servants. And at the worst case, they may have to go into prostitution as a way to make any kind of money. There weren't a lot of opportunities. Then it wrecked this man. He loved his daughters like we love our daughters, you know.
So I still had some funds and some things. And so when the first daughter was of marrying age, I took some gold coins that I had and I put them in a bag. I knew where the gentleman lived. And when they were all fast asleep, the window was open and they were hanging the stockings by the fireplace to warm.
And when I tossed the gold coin, the bag of gold coins, sure enough, it landed in a stocking, so it didn't make any noise.
The next morning when the gentleman awoke, he realized he had enough money and he was Able to arrange a wedding, and he was able to marry off the first daughter.
And so I did it again. There were two more girls. He didn't know it was me. So the second time, I did the same thing. This time I actually aimed for the stocking and got it.
You know, back in the day, they didn't have basketball, but had they had basketball, I think I would have made a team.
Put it through the window, right into the stocking. That was the second one. Again, the man was overjoyed. He was able to marry off his second daughter to a very good man and bring something into the wedding.
When third time came around, he actually wanted to know who was doing this.
So he kept watch for a long time, took his naps in the afternoon and stayed awake at night.
When I came around on the third one again, I did the toss.
Nothing but sock. It went right down the middle of the sock. Keeping that tradition alive.
And he saw me and he came out, gave me a wonderful, tearful embrace. I'll never forget it.
And he said, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, Nicholas. He knew I was. This was a relatively small village, and I said, you're extremely welcome. So it gives me joy to do it, but if you could do me a favor and just not tell anybody.
But as you know, even when Jesus performed miracles and would say, don't tell, sometimes people couldn't help themselves.
The man overwhelmed with joy, word got out, and then the kind of. The legend kind of spread and actually contributed to, you know, eventually my becoming a bishop nearby town of Myra.
But that's where it.
[00:45:06] Speaker A: Starts. The real historic, courageous, charitable man who was a great bishop 1700 years ago, also spent time in.
[00:45:14] Speaker B: Jail. Yes. That happened under Diocletian, who persecuted many people at that time.
The area where I'm from was part of the Roman Empire. Diocletian was a great persecutor of. Terrible persecutor of Christians.
So I spent time in prison, and it was when Constantine came in, I was able to be released.
So that time, even spent, there was time spent in prayer, a time to try to minister to prisoners and give them hope.
So it didn't go to waste, but it was good to be.
[00:45:47] Speaker A: Out. So you've been at this for a long.
[00:45:49] Speaker B: Time? Oh, a long time. Yeah. A long.
[00:45:52] Speaker A: Time. And you shared some stories from the historic St.
[00:45:54] Speaker B: Nicholas. Yes.
[00:45:55] Speaker A: Right. But let's fast forward to today. What are some current things that are moving your heart as an evangelist, as a bishop, as a witness to the.
[00:46:02] Speaker B: Gospel? Well, there's so Many to draw from, which is a nice thing. But let me think.
Ah, it would have been last Christmas, even as far as recent memory.
And I was at Rockefeller center in New York City, which is the center of the universe at Christmas. Some say there were thousands of people, well wishers.
Well, when I was going back, I had a driver that night and I was walking back to the car and I walked right past on the steps of St Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. You probably heard of it or been.
[00:46:37] Speaker A: There.
[00:46:37] Speaker B: Beautiful. It is beautiful. Well, on the steps there was a contingent. There was a group of Hispanics, probably numbering about a hundred of them.
And they had their guitars and microphones set up and they were singing beautiful Christmas hymns.
And they had someone dressed up like the Blessed Virgin Mary. They had someone dressed up like St. Joseph and a little baby Jesus.
Well, as Santa's walking to his car downtown New York, walking by St. Patrick's and there are hundreds of people following, maybe thousands. The spirit is good.
Well, as I walked by, I actually naturally, and it wasn't to try to in any way show off, but I saw the Holy Family there and naturally I stopped and the crowd kind of parted and I was about 8 to 10 steps from Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. And naturally, without even hesitation, I bowed before the Holy Family, before the Christ Child, the birthday of a king, and I'll never forget it. And the enthusiasm from the men there, they one even got on the microphone, he said, son Nicholas is with us. And the crowd erupted into applause.
They absolutely erupted in applause. And at that moment I was so grateful to have the opportunity to, to put it all in the proper perspective. I love it when families celebrate Christmas and they have Santa Claus involved, but maybe they don't know all the history.
So it was a moment to witness to the proper order that Santa, St. Nick bows before the King, before the Holy Family, not the other way. And the crowd, it was a beautiful moment to.
[00:48:20] Speaker A: Witness. That's.
[00:48:21] Speaker B: Powerful. And those are the kind of things that, that give me great hope. And everyone there, everyone there that was around there, I believe they're changed for it.
What they witnessed was profound. It was beautiful, it was true.
And it happens every Christmas in some.
[00:48:42] Speaker A: Capacity. I think we all kind of know that the deepest tenderness that all humans long for. You see it in that manger.
[00:48:50] Speaker B: Scene.
[00:48:51] Speaker A: Yes.
The word became flesh and is cradled by a mother, a human mom and Joseph. I mean, that's the mystery. All this comes from and points to.
[00:49:02] Speaker B: Man. It's so profound. And you know, I keep you may have noticed some people have asked, what's this on my hat here that reminds me of the star of Bethlehem. That still from that holy night. And it changed everything.
It's quite a thing. But if you have any other questions, feel free.
Feel free to.
[00:49:24] Speaker A: Ask. Your brand has changed over.
[00:49:26] Speaker B: Time. It.
[00:49:27] Speaker A: Has. You're not wearing a traditional bishop's.
[00:49:29] Speaker B: Hat. Like.
[00:49:29] Speaker A: What. How did this come about? From what looked like a bishop from the four hundreds in.
[00:49:36] Speaker B: Turkey. And there are times that I, you know, depending on, you know, the cultures and some practices and things evolve. Even your. I bet your fashion looks different than when you were nine years old. But you're still Chris and you're still wearing.
[00:49:48] Speaker A: Clothes. That's.
[00:49:49] Speaker B: Right. Oh, well, you know, as time goes on, I relocated, you know, the temperature in Turkey, modern day Turkey, is quite different than the North.
[00:50:01] Speaker A: Pole.
[00:50:02] Speaker B: Yeah. And that's part of the reason why it looks so good is because it's like having meat in a freezer. It just doesn't go bad as fast. So I spent a lot of.
[00:50:10] Speaker A: Time in the cold weather packing it.
[00:50:12] Speaker B: On. Yeah. Oh, yeah. So actually, it was right around the early 1900s.
A lot of the influence, you know, Dutch. A lot of the Dutch came to New York, even a little bit before that, and they brought some of their customs of Sinterklaus, Santa Claus, St.
[00:50:28] Speaker A: Nicholas. Sinterklaas is literally Dutch St.
[00:50:31] Speaker B: Nicholas. Yeah. And so there was illustrators in the newspaper and things like that. Well, they wanted to draw a depiction of me bringing the toys. You know, they hear things and, you know, we didn't have the quick photographs, so there would be artists, renditions of what they've heard, of what they've learned. And some of them were more accurate than others, but it helped build the excitement. And then when the man Clement Moore wrote, The visit from St Nicholas was a night before Christmas, you know, and that captured a lot of the excitement. And, you know, my reindeer loved it. You know, they got some press. But he described me back then as a little elf. Well, you can see I'm really not an elf. But again, the artist has some license, but it built enthusiasm. As time went on, you could see holy cards of where the traditional bishop's attire, which is still celebrated on December 6th in many places, that's my day, St. Nicholas Day.
And then the garments, the clothes, the change of clothes will happen.
This is more of an indoor where when I go around the world on Christmas Eve, and if it's super cold and I'm working, then I have even heavier and I Got the big black belt, and you dress warm for the occasion. So this is more of an indoor. That's why I don't have the big belt and the extra fur and all those things. Now, in the 1930s, other people were starting to market Santa because they knew it was exciting, it brought some. It generated enthusiasm. And then the Coca Cola company started doing some renditions. And the artists there drew me based off of someone that they knew.
So over the years, it's actually enjoyable.
In some depictions, I'm smaller, some I'm taller, some I'm skinnier, some I'm fatter, some I have all white hair, some I'm bald. It just. It varies. Sometimes I'm depicted as black or Asian. So it. And that's fine. If people are celebrating Santa and what is familiar for them, what makes them happy, that's fine. Today to visit you, this was kind of more of the. The standard traditional Santa, only again, without the belt and the fur down the front and things like that. But I have all those things. So if we were meeting outside a month from now, you know, I'd probably dress a little bit differently.
[00:52:44] Speaker A: But. All.
[00:52:44] Speaker B: Right.
[00:52:45] Speaker A: Yeah. How do you pull it all off in one.
[00:52:47] Speaker B: Night?
[00:52:47] Speaker A: Yeah. There's the big question on all the parents.
[00:52:50] Speaker B: Minds.
That's a good question. And I'll tell you right now on some of the kind of scientific. You start from the east and you go to the west. So you're going through time zones.
Being at the North Pole, you can cut across to reload.
Keep in mind, too, that there's some things imagine right now, like, let's say if everything just kind of slowed down, I'd like to ask you move your hand at this speed, okay? This speed. Okay. And then all of a sudden, as you're doing this, as the world slows down, what if right now I'm going.
See, I'm going this fast and you're going slow. Accelerate that by about 100,000.
That's part of it. Okay. Part of it, too, is the magic of Christmas. The other thing, too, some people think I deliver toys to every child in the world. And I don't do that if there are cultures that don't celebrate Christmas at all.
I'm not going to impose on cultures and things that just don't want to celebrate Christmas. Now, the nice thing is, as the story of Christianity spreads and people embrace the lives of saints and other festivals and things, including Christmas and St. Nicholas Day, I'm very, very happy.
We can make plenty of toys. We make over 900 million toys a year on average.
And I'll say too, people say, how can it all happen? How are their presence all around the world in one night? Part of it is the speed. I talked about the delivery system. And part of it also is that Santa has many, many, many helpers. You probably want to ask, how many elves do I.
[00:54:25] Speaker A: Have? How many elves do you.
[00:54:26] Speaker B: Have? 90,000 and over 90,000.
There's probably 3,489. That would be kind of like the captains.
They love to make toys.
Every elf makes about 20 to 25 toys per day.
And then in addition to elves, Santa has many, many, many helpers.
Many helpers that help do the work and help me.
They send me the letters and they know what's the best thing for their child. And they cooperate with Santa to make sure that underneath the tree there's a little something for the ones that they love. So Santa has millions of.
[00:55:12] Speaker A: Helpers. Now, some people think that you go everywhere by.
[00:55:15] Speaker B: Reindeer. Oh, it's an excellent.
[00:55:17] Speaker A: Question.
[00:55:17] Speaker B: Yeah. Yep. So you probably want to ask that.
[00:55:20] Speaker A: Question. No. Do.
[00:55:21] Speaker B: You?
[00:55:21] Speaker A: No.
[00:55:21] Speaker B: Okay. So the reindeer people ask that frequently. And when I do a lot of visits, I should mention too that every year I pick about 100 places, maybe sometimes 200 or 300 leading up to Christmas because I like to visit homes where I'm invited all around the United States, all around Europe, all around the world.
Families that I've known. And I like to do it because on Christmas Eve, what are the kids doing? Or what they should be doing?
[00:55:47] Speaker A: Sleeping.
Debbie can't come unless the kids are.
[00:55:50] Speaker B: Asleep. Well, exactly. Sometimes I get caught and I tell them, be careful. So what I try to do is make sure that I'm.
I'm going quick.
Oh, yes, about the reindeer. So when I'm doing visits prior to Christmas, I fly off and I go into Finland and then from Finland, fly. And people know me, they've known me around. And then I'll Uber. Sometimes I get a car. I rent a car. I don't drive as well as I fly, but it's nice. Sometimes friends will drive me around. I have a wonderful group of assistants.
They're called the St. Nicholas Guards, actually. And they help get me places and help me get.
[00:56:28] Speaker A: On. Yeah, you have security.
I do have a picture of them too.
[00:56:31] Speaker B: Right. They're wonderful young men and they're very skilled and they're very kind hearted, but they help look after me, make sure I get to where I'm supposed to go, help me get through a crowd. But they're very kind about it. Make sure I pose for pictures and things like that. But again, with the reindeer, imagine if you just played in the Super Bowl. You're not gonna go out and play football the next morning. You're gonna rest up and take almost the rest of the season. So the reindeer fly on Christmas Eve? Very occasionally, I'll take them out if they want to just kind of stretch their legs and do a test.
[00:57:03] Speaker A: Run. Oh.
[00:57:04] Speaker B: Yeah. And I have arrangements with airports.
[00:57:07] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:57:07] Speaker B: Okay. If I'm planning, like, a fun, like flying in here to Denver, I have an arrangement. There's some fields around the airport, and I. The control tower knows I'm coming in. Clear the skies. I do that kind of quickly, but not that often because Christmas Eve is go time. And they are so magnificent how they get me around the world and they keep the tradition alive and they love it. They're magnificent to see. And then through the magic of Christmas, things just go fast, and it just works. And part of the science, to be honest with you, Chris, I don't fully understand myself. It's just the magic happens, and I try not to dissect it because science was not my passion in life.
I love science. We make scientific toys and things.
Little hands and things. They can put it all together.
Some of the things we make, I don't fully understand myself.
So that's how the reindeer work. But they go on Christmas, and then the rest of the year, they take it easy. They rest, they build up again, and they're spoiled rotten because they do such a good.
[00:58:09] Speaker A: Job. And then there's some cultures where you're going with an outrigger canoe instead of reindeer. I mean, like, you're not taking reindeer to.
[00:58:15] Speaker B: Hawaii.
Oh, exactly. I have. And I could.
I could with no problem. But again, I'll mix it up a little bit, and I like to get out and about once in a.
[00:58:26] Speaker A: While. Now, people presume you like cookies. I mean, Maeve brought some cookies for you. We'll have to eat one at the end of this.
[00:58:32] Speaker B: Episode. Oh, I.
[00:58:32] Speaker A: Will. I think Rosie helped make these.
[00:58:34] Speaker B: Cookies. They're beautiful cookies. They're not bad.
[00:58:35] Speaker A: Yeah. And then your reindeer, they presume they want carrots. So could we maybe suggest mixing.
[00:58:41] Speaker B: It up a little.
[00:58:42] Speaker A: Bit? Like, is that.
Is that the right thing to leave out for.
[00:58:45] Speaker B: You? Let me tell you something about that. So let's start with the.
[00:58:49] Speaker A: Reindeer.
[00:58:50] Speaker B: Okay. Reindeer actually have very sensitive stomachs. Okay.
They'll eat the carrots because people leave them, and they've been leaving them for centuries. Not probably not centuries, but in recent lore.
But they're not good for the reindeer.
Again, we're grateful that they do it.
But if you really want to leave something that the reindeer love, well, when they're home, their hooves, they scrape away the snow and they eat moss. Lichen.
It's a moss.
They love that. And also, they eat leaves off trees. They love those kind of things. If you really want to leave something special, they love apples.
They love apples. They love raisins, they love oats. So if you have dried oats, you don't have to make oatmeal with brown sugar and syrup and granola and things like that, but you can leave oats, apples.
[00:59:42] Speaker A: Raisins. And how about you? How about.
[00:59:44] Speaker B: You? Well, for.
[00:59:45] Speaker A: Me, White Castle hamburgers, I love them.
[00:59:50] Speaker B: Yeah. Probably more than a man should.
But I will say, different cultures leave different things. What's common here in North America and the United States is cookies.
I'll enjoy some cookies.
But also. But I collect probably about 64 million cookies in a night. And I take them back and guess who I give them to?
The reindeer. Oh, Chris. No.
[01:00:18] Speaker A: No. The.
[01:00:18] Speaker B: Homeless. No. When I go home, the.
[01:00:21] Speaker A: Elves. Oh, the.
[01:00:21] Speaker B: Elves. The.
[01:00:22] Speaker A: Elves. They're cookie eaters. Of.
[01:00:23] Speaker B: Course. Thank you. How about Mrs.
[01:00:24] Speaker A: Claus? And she likes.
[01:00:25] Speaker B: Cookies. She loves cookies.
You know, So I share the wealth. I share the love. Okay. Certain cultures, like in.
[01:00:32] Speaker A: Ireland.
[01:00:33] Speaker B: Yeah. Though in England, those areas, they leave mince pies, which are nice and warm and good. You know, sometimes I leave a pint of.
[01:00:39] Speaker A: Guinness. But downing several thousand mince pies, that's a.
[01:00:43] Speaker B: Job. Well, I bring a lot of stuff home. Okay. So when I'm reloading, I'm unloading. But, you know, everything's appreciated. I usually take a quick bite. But if you take a quick bite of something and then you just keep going, you're pretty filled.
[01:00:55] Speaker A: Up. It does add.
[01:00:56] Speaker B: Up. But I'm burning a lot of.
[01:00:58] Speaker A: Calories.
How many calories do you burn on a Christmas.
[01:01:00] Speaker B: Eve? 64.
[01:01:01] Speaker A: Million.
That's a lot of.
[01:01:03] Speaker B: Calories. It's a.
[01:01:04] Speaker A: Lot. And then your reindeer, you're getting probably into the billions of.
[01:01:09] Speaker B: Calories. Magnify that by.
[01:01:10] Speaker A: Nine.
[01:01:11] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
So it's a lot. But again, a lot of this. It's just the magic of Christmas. It's hard to.
[01:01:16] Speaker A: Explain. Now, in the Western world, we think of Santa Claus and Nicholas, we think of your outfit right now, we think of the. You know, of the guy sitting in front of me right now.
In the East, Eastern Orthodox friends of mine, the Byzantine, there's a serious active devotion to St. Nicholas. Now, there's people in the west who have that, too. Yes, but in the east, it's like in the way that we talk about St. Francis. In the west, for instance, Roman Catholics, they're like front of mind. If you ask, what's your favorite St. Nicholas is boom. And they call him the Miracle.
[01:01:51] Speaker B: Worker. They call me the Wonder.
[01:01:52] Speaker A: Worker. The Wonder Worker. Tell me a little about your experience. When you're flying your sled.
[01:01:56] Speaker B: Around. It's beautiful. And that's usually a little bit later. That's usually January 5th, 6th in that area. Many, like you, take Russia.
[01:02:03] Speaker A: Ukraine.
The present delivery is a little.
[01:02:06] Speaker B: Later, a little later, which also helps.
So actually, it's not all in one night.
Some countries, it's already around St Nicholas Day a lot to Christmas Eve. Then in the Orthodox countries, it's in early January.
So that helps make it all happen.
But their devotion is beautiful. Many, many churches are named after me.
And in the east, it's a beautiful devotion. The Wonder Worker, they celebrate the miracles, and it's very reverent. And they enjoy the little treats and things like that, too.
But when I'm flying, I'll dress warm. It may not be exactly this, but again, there's a practical.
[01:02:43] Speaker A: Element. We should resurrect this, though, just in the Western world, too, that, you know, we could. We should look to the example of and pray for the intercession of St. Nicholas. Because it's not the Wonder Worker for a reason.
There's miracles wrought to this day through this guy's.
[01:03:00] Speaker B: Intercession. And it's not all just about getting. I think that's important.
The focus needs to be on.
[01:03:04] Speaker A: Giving. Imitating.
[01:03:06] Speaker B: Nicholas. Thank you. And those kind of devotions, because the more we imitate those, the more we're imitating Jesus, and that's more important. And the gifts is just. I'm demonstrating a giving spirit.
But to the young people receiving the gifts, they should realize it's not all about getting that. They also. They use the term pay it forward in these days. I like that phrase. I think it's kind of clever. So they need to take something and also remember, well, I received something from people who love me. Now I want to be a Santa's helper, carry on that tradition, be Christlike. And I want to be a giver. So any child who receives something, they should think, what could I make or do or give?
I could maybe volunteer to help moms and dads clean the house or leave them a card. Especially like teenagers. What parents would give for teenagers to write a note to say thank you and that I love you. That would be one of the greatest gifts they can receive. And all young people can do that. So to anyone watching here, and I understand you have a great viewership, so I'm very proud of you. Congratulations.
Especially teenagers write that special Christmas card which will fill your parents, your grandparents, the ones you love, your friends, and say thank you for loving me in this life. And then that surreal Christmas spirit, the Christmas magic that lives on and on, and every day can be like Christmas. It really can.
[01:04:35] Speaker A: Be.
You know, I'd love to. Before we sign off, Santa, look at the person watching right now who's maybe forgetting the joy, forgetting the child inside of them, maybe having an extra rough Christmas.
And you got a word for that.
[01:04:52] Speaker B: Guy? I do. And I want you to know that you are loved. Never forget that you may feel alone, but you're not really alone.
Santa loves you. St. Nicholas loves you. Is rooting for you. You can turn some things around.
I can't always deliver everything that people ask.
Some things are just out of my realm. But I can always offer prayer. I can always offer some hope.
I can always say, you can believe in God, a loving father that we have.
Jesus knows you. Jesus loves you. The saints are in your corner.
So just know that you're not alone. Try to feel the best you can. The love that people have for you, the love that God has for you. And maybe sometimes you can give a little bit, too. Even if you feel like you've got nothing to give, you can give your prayer. You can give some courtesy. You can believe in hope and believe in goodness and believe in love, so it's there for you.
And know that I don't get to every home and every person, but I certainly do pray. And you'll be prayed for. And I just really want you all to have a very merry Christmas and a very blessed Christmas season and carry that spirit with you. It's not a novelty that happens in one night. It's not all about the revelry. It's really about goodness and kindness and love and giving and being grateful. And we can all do a little something in our own way, and it'll truly be a merry Christmas. Then you carry that with you the next day, then the day after that. You can change lives. But Santa loves you and is in your.
[01:06:33] Speaker A: Corner.
Hallelujah.
Santa Claus, without a doubt.
I'm so honored. This is the greatest guest we've had. Sit on that couch. Oh, what a gift. What a gift to have you.
[01:06:47] Speaker B: Here. Don't make me do the.
[01:06:49] Speaker A: Laugh.
I think we're gonna sign off with a laugh.
If I could join.
[01:06:56] Speaker B: You, I'm gonna aspirate. Be.
[01:07:00] Speaker A: Careful.
I love it so.
[01:07:03] Speaker B: Much. I love you.
[01:07:04] Speaker A: Too.
Oh.
[01:07:07] Speaker B: Man. Ring those bells.
[01:07:09] Speaker A: Chris. Ring those bells.
You better watch.
[01:07:12] Speaker B: Out. You better not cry. You better not count. I'm telling you why Santa Claus is coming.
Hold.
[01:07:21] Speaker A: On. We should do like the little, little. Now, dash away, dance away. Do you know that by.
[01:07:25] Speaker B: Heart? You have to. I know that little phrase. Yeah, yeah. Do it right now, Dasher. Now, Dancer. Now Prancer and Vixen. On, Comet, on, Cupid, on, Donder and Blitzen. Donner and Blitzen means thunder and lightning, by the way. To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall. Now dash away, dash away, dash away all.
Merry.
[01:07:47] Speaker A: Christmas.
Well, that just happened. Santa Claus was on the show.
I love you guys.
The Lord loves you. The Saints love you. And for God so loved the world that he gave his only son Merry.
[01:08:07] Speaker B: Christmas.
