As it gets closer and closer to the most wonderful time of the year, many parents up and down the country will be opting to take their little ones to go and see Santa - and what a fantastically magical experience it is.
I can still vividly remember the days of visiting Santa and being so excited to speak to him, tell him what I wanted for Christmas and I still have a bear decoration in a festive jumper that I was given by Santa that my parents still put on their tree each year over two decades later.
If you're part of making the magic happen for kids around Christmas, it must be so exciting and rewarding.
I spoke to Paul Ware, professionally known as PB, to get the low-down on what it's like to play the jolly fellow himself and how he stays in character for the 12-hour shifts.
PB currently works at Santa's Enchanted Forest, which is based in Formby and is an immersive Christmas experience that includes a Santa visit, real reindeer and lots of things to explore for the whole family. He's worked there for three years so far.
When I asked what his motivations were for becoming Santa - his answer was hilariously brutal. He explained to me that he took his son to see Santa at a garden centre, and was left less than impressed with how believable the man was.
He said: "The Santa was awful. He was shocking. His fake beard and suit were not up to par and he didn't make any effort with his accent and didn't even try to be a jolly Father Christmas.
"He just talked about football the whole time, so I wrote a letter to the garden centre and said 'hello, your Santa was awful and I can do a better job, so here's my CV.' Then they got in touch with me, and a year later, I was Santa."
Well, that's one way to secure a job!
PB explained that it's important to have a 'rapport' with the people who are coming to visit, and 'comebacks' are a vital part of the role.
"Your main customer is the child - it's a magical moment for them. Santa is the be-all and end-all of Christmas, and they'll sit and listen to you. But you have to entertain the family as well - you almost have to make the parents believe you're Santa.
"Some people look upon this job as 'not real acting', but it is. Father Christmas is one of the hardest acting jobs I have throughout the year - because it's so repetitive and because you've got to be on the ball all the time. If you drop that, the child will say 'that's not Santa'.
"You've got to be believable. I've heard of some Father Christmases having their tattoos on show in the grotto, but it's just not part of the experience."
Getting ready for work
He said the days are long, 12-hour shifts are common, but it's important he arrives early at work, because 'nobody wants to see Father Christmas turn up in a Ford Focus'.
PB also said that he arrives at work suited and booted so he doesn't have to get ready whilst at work, but as he has a real beard now, there's not much to do.
He told me for his first couple of years he had a fake beard, then 'worked his way up to a real beard', explaining that there's 'politics' and 'snobbery' between the Santas who have real and fake beards.
"It is hilarious to think of", he laughed, "but there is a gap between those who have the real beard and those who have the fake beard, which I coined as being 'Fantas' - fake Santas."
PB said he finds it easier to get ready at home, especially because he's the only Santa at the grotto, and he admitted that when he's driving to work he'll spread some Christmas cheer by waving at the people who inevitably stare at him in his garb.
He explained that his outfit is made by Emma Underwood and the pair designed it together to make Santa look as luxe as possible, saying he wanted something 'sturdy' and 'good quality' - and Emma delivered.
The time Santa had to say no - and weird requests
PB explained that there was one instance where he was forced to say no to a child because of their unusual present request.
He said: "An eight-year-old child asked for Grand Theft Auto - and I said 'no'. He said 'what do you mean no?' I said 'I don't want you telling your friend that Father Christmas has given you a game for an 18-year-old!'"
The strangest request PB has ever received from a child was an 'Anderson Shelter' a reinforced dug-out for back gardens.
To the request, he responded: "I'll try, but I don't know if I'll get that on the sleigh!"
PB also explained that he keeps an eye on the parents when the child asks for something - for example, if they're asking for an animal or something really expensive or tough to get hold of, and the parents don't look happy about it, it's best to keep the answer open, rather than saying 'a direct yes'.
How Santa reacts when children say he's not real
PB said that improvisational skills are key in a role like Santa, but thankfully he's not called out often.
He said: "From the younger ones I don’t really get called out for not being real although they do ask questions about being the real Santa so I do say I’m very busy this time of year and that’s why you see me everywhere. I tell them that I also have a lot of helpers who look a little bit like me."
When older children have younger siblings, he 'tells them it's important to keep the magic alive for the little ones', so they don't remark on the fact 'Santa isn't real'.
PB also said it's important to read the room and react, and he said: "You never know who will walk through the door so it’s important to have your wits about you and be ready for anything."
The most heartwarming experience
He said: "A child brought a teddy bear in, and the mum was there too, and the mum was being very careful with the teddy bear and nobody told me what was going on.
"She passed the teddy bear to the boy and he had photographs with the teddy bear - but then she wanted photographs with just the teddy bear in and I was like 'okay, yeah'.
"It turns out that the teddy bear had the ashes of her daughter who passed away the year before.
"It was very heartwarming - and sometimes I need a minute because sometimes things catch me off guard."
PB explained that if he needs a minute for any reason, he'll say he needs 'to feed the reindeer', which is code for he needs some time to do what he needs to.
He also told me of a little girl who asked for her parents to get back together for Christmas.
PB said: "Both of her parents were there and I think they were doing the best job they could out of a hard situation that they were going through.
"I just explained her parents still love her and that's what counts."
Some children are cheekier than others
PB told me about a child who came into the grotto whose dad 'looked like a professional weightlifter'.
He said the boy, who he estimated was about eight or nine, wanted weights for Christmas, so he could look like his dad.
He said: "He'd probably been asking his dad for weights and his dad said when he was older. Anyway, he said 'I want weights for Christmas' so I looked at his dad and I looked at this little lad and said 'do you want to get hench for Christmas?' and he was like 'yeah I want to get hench!' he was like 'Santa will be hench next year!'"
PB explained that kids will 'tell you anything' when they're in the room, which sometimes leaves the parents 'red-faced'.
He also said that some children 'expect their Xbox or their bike to be there waiting for them' when they visit the grotto but he quickly explains they have to 'wait until Christmas eve when they're in bed nice and early'.
It's the hardest acting job - but is so rewarding
PB said that being Father Christmas is one of the most rewarding, but one of the hardest acting jobs that he has.
He said: "You've got to be constantly on it - you've got your script, but you've got to be constantly changing it and adapting it for whoever walks through the door next.
"It's a magical character - he's one of the most well-known characters out there and you've got to do it right every time. It is a role so steeped in tradition.
"He's a character that everybody loves, so you've got to treat him with a lot of respect. It sounds strange because it's a character - but anyone who is an actor wants to give it their all to make the character as believable as possible for their audience. And it's no different here.
"That's what I love about Father Christmas - he's with me all year round."
It's clear that PB is dedicated to the role of Santa, taking it seriously and ensuring that every child that comes to visit him gets a fantastic experience. He even said all he wants is for 'people to leave smiling'. How festive!
Will you be visiting Santa this year? Let us know in the comments.
