A professional Santa from Nottinghamshire has shared the truth behind 'one of the best jobs ever'. Jack Griffin, 26, from Gotham, has described what it is like to work as a paid Father Christmas and how he begins his Christmas half way through the year.
The performer, who has been a professional St Nick for the last six years, previously worked in holiday parks and abroad before making his passion for the festive season his job. "It's one of the best jobs ever, I have been doing it for six years now and every year it gets bigger, better, and busier. I started when I was 20, so I was an extremely young Santa," Mr Griffin said.
"I worked around all the holiday parks and abroad as a performer and singer, and Christmas has always been a really big thing in my family so it just started off one year with a cheap suit and doing it with family and friends and I just caught the bug for it. Over the last six years I have invested a ridiculous amount of money really into suits, wigs, beards and moustaches and I work closely with some really good Santas across the UK - it's just so fun it's something for the family and the kids absolutely love it.
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"This year I'm doing the majority of my work in London, at corporate parties and things like that. The start just gets earlier and earlier every year, my bookings upon in June so then onwards is Christmas in my world which some people find bizarre - it's Christmas year round.
"Each year I try to invest and get something different that the kids would really like to see." On how a 26-year-old is able to mimic St Nick, Jack said: "I pride myself very much on getting the aesthetic of Santa right. It takes a lot of effort, I have a prosthetic nose and a Yak hair beard and moustache - a lot of Santas use Yak hair in professional work because it gives your beard that authentic look and feel for any kid trying to catch you out for having a fake beard.
"But as soon as I get it all on I'm Santa. When I turn up at a venue people are like 'are you the Santa?', and I'm like 'just wait, give me an hour'. I have to glue my beard and moustache on, and that and the prosthetics have to dry before getting dressed.
"My family is little Christmas obsessed actually, my tree went up on November 1 and my mum's went up in the third week in November so people do look at us. But for me when I've been preparing since June, so November doesn't seem early at all.
Mr Griffin said he was getting increasingly exciting opportunities as a performer. He add that he was looking to carry on until he resembled the figure and praised the network of Santas in the UK.
"When I first started it was more doorstep visits, children's parties but now it's a lot of breakfasts with Santa at pub chains, corporate office parties in London and Birmingham and bigger events. The more you invest in looking like Santa and acting like Santa lots more opportunities get about," he said.
"I've been really lucky this year and I've got some really amazing work coming up in December. This year I'm doing a Leicester Tigers event this year too.
"I'm planning to do this for many years to the point where I might not have to put a beard and moustache on. There's a big group of professional Santas and we all share tips and advice on Facebook and help out Santas that are starting out, selling old beards and suits. Everybody is trying to help each other become the best Santa they can be."
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