Make sure your beard is white and your belly is big.
Smile a lot and pose for pictures.
Then when you’re performing at a Springboro elementary school, a first-grade girl climbs on your lap and when you ask what she wants for Christmas, she doesn’t wish for Barbie dolls, makeup kits or Legos.
No, the little girl says: “I want to be happy.”
“That’s a tall order for a first-grader,” said Mike Paugh, 39, who has played Santa since he was 17. “I couldn’t say anything.”
Paugh has heard a variety of requests over the years. Some children tell him they miss their deceased grandparents or pets. That’s when this Santa leans on his faith. He tells them their relatives are “in a much better place and they will be waiting for you some day.”
When it comes to obtainable gifts, Santa said some of the hottest items this year are Play Station 5s, baby dolls, trains, sports equipment and surprisingly, Pogo sticks.
This Santa has one rule when it comes to fulfilling Christmas requests: “I never promise anything. I tell them I will consider it.”
This Santa, who lives in Trenton when he’s not at the North Pole, said he’s not concerned about the climate change or the limited supply chain.
He can climb down chimneys in Hawaiian shirts and shorts if needed, he said.
The elves still work for cookies and hot chocolate and their new contract includes a 401(k) retirement plan, he said. Hermey the elf handles all dental issues, Santa said.
The elves never will strike and Santa credits them for making all the children happy.
“I get all the glory,” Santa said. “But I have an army behind me.”
That army includes the nine reindeer who guide the sleigh around the world every Christmas Eve. You might be surprised by this Santa’s favorite reindeer. It’s not Rudolph, as the song goes, “the most famous reindeer of all.”
Santa said due to the movie and song, Rudolph thinks he’s “tough stuff.” Meanwhile, this Santa considers Rudolph’s red nose “a glorified light bulb.”
Santa called Comet, who provides a rope so he doesn’t fall off the roof, his “go-to reindeer.”
When this Santa isn’t overseeing the elves working in the toy shop or training the reindeer, he appears in the Miamisburg Parade, Carlisle Tree Lighting, Middletown’s Santa Parade, Monroe’s Santa Tour and in local schools and at private events.
His wife, Amanda, sometimes plays Mrs. Claus and their two children, Emma, 12, and Blaine, 9, are elves.
Paugh, who also works at Millennium Metals in Franklin, started playing Santa 22 years ago when he worked at Family Christian Stores near the Dayton Mall. The store needed someone to dress up as Santa and when Paugh was loaned a complete Santa suit, he volunteered.
He never returned that suit and wore it until he bought a new one four years ago.
‘Playing Santa is one of those things that calls you’
Credit: Michael Pitman
Credit: Michael Pitman
Michael Fields has performed as Santa in the Hamilton Santa House for about 10 years.
None of that experience prepares this Santa for when a child asks him if he can bring back a lost relative or pet.
“Those are tear-jerkers even for Santa,” Fields said. “I tell them even with all my magic, I can’t do that no matter how much they want that person. I’m blessed with magical powers, but some things Santa can’t do.”
He said playing Santa “is one of those things that calls you. It has to do with the smiles on the kids’ faces. I like it when I ask them what they want, and you can see their little minds working. When they think of it, it brings them pure joy.”
While traditional toys are still popular, this Santa said items that were popular in the 1980s are “making a comeback.”
Those items are hard to find at the North Pole and the elves feel like they’re working in a time machine, he said.
This Santa has one rule when it comes to granting kids’ Christmas wishes: No cellphones or live animals. He’s concerned about the high cost of cellphones and whether live animals could survive the cold temperatures and the distance traveling around the world.
Fields, 49, said he and the reindeer prefer snow during their Christmas Eve deliveries. He said Rudolph is “geared up” to lead the sleigh and his red nose provides “a special ability” that Santa appreciates.
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