Community Corner

Even Santa Goes to School

Santa Fred Standaert has attended several schools to perfect his Santa Claus abilities.



While serving as a fire cop for Swedeland Fire Co. in King of Prussia, Fred Standaert made his first Santa Claus mistake.

The gray-haired Standaert, who at the time was clean-shaven, affixed a fake beard to his face before filling in on a breakfast with Santa event for his fire company.

"The fake beard was very, very awkward," Standaert said of his first stint four years ago. "A boy said, 'I bet you can't eat this cookie.' "

And, as it turns out the child was right, according to Standaert, who was then called a "fake." 

"The mustache and the beard were all tangled together," he recalled. "After that, I said to myself, 'never again will I be in that situation.' "

Now, Standaert, who has since relocated to eastern Montgomery County, is all natural. 

"Everything that you see as far as facial, as far as hair, is real. It stays on me year-round," he said. "If you pull my hair, my chin follows."

Standaert, who works at the national distribution center in Philadelphia for the United States Postal Service, has taken to not just putting on his $800 Coca-Cola Santa suit and matching velvet bag, but actually embodying him. 

In his home, Standaert keeps a binder and proudly laminated copies of various Santa-centric certificates he's received in the last year or two. He holds a "Bachelor of Santa Claus" degree from the International University of Santa Claus, which is taught by Santa Tim Connaghan, who, according to the Web site, is a professional Santa with more than 45 years of experience. 

"When I first started doing it, I didn't know that much about it," Standaert said. "Anybody can put the red suit on."

Since educating himself in all things Santa Claus, Standaert, a volunteer fire policeman for Enterprise Fire Co. in Hatboro, said he has taken the official Santa Claus Oath through the Santa Claus Oath Foundation and received a certificate for "The Art of Being Santa Claus" through the Santa Claus Academy.

There's also the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas.

"You set yourself up as an image," Standaert said, adding that the schools "all pretty much stress the same thing. Appearance. Appearance. Appearance."

Besides learning the hard lesson about a fake beard early on, Standaert said he's also discovered that "it's very important to have a laugh," regardless of age. That's why he'll oftentimes encourage parents to sit on his lap along with their kids. 

And Standaert offers some words of comfort for parents worried that their children's hefty wish lists may break the bank.

"You never tell a child you will give them a thing," Standaert said. "It's always, 'I will see what I can do.' "

But, for those boys and girls setting out cookies and milk on Christmas Eve, Standaert said chocolate chip cookies are his favorite. And for those non-believers, he offers his belly as proof.

"That's exactly what I tell them," Standaert said. " 'Do you want to push in on my belly?' Everything is mine."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here