Being Santa: Decatur man shares joy, love and magic of Christmas
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus
Donned in an ill-fitting, hand-me-down red suit and cheap boot covers, Paul Martin, his short hair and beard gray, glanced in the mirror dishearteningly. He knew everyone at the holiday event for special needs individuals would see him as an imposter.
“I didn’t look like the real Santa. I was so worried that I wasn’t going to be believable,” Martin said. “But when they saw me, they just accepted me. I was Santa to them. It was the greatest feeling.”
Since that day 16 years ago, Martin, better known as Santa Claus to many in Decatur, has listened to the wishes and dreams of thousands of children and adults.
It is a role the 58-year-old insurance agent never imagined undertaking and one he now describes as a blessing.
“Most Santas don’t start off wanting to be Santa. It happens because someone asks you to do it,” Martin said. “I am so grateful I have been lucky enough to play this role.”
Martin’s journey into becoming Santa began when Judge Charles Langham asked him to portray Father Christmas at Central United Methodist Church’s holiday party for individuals with special needs.
“The Santa they had been using for Extraordinary People’s Night couldn’t do it. Charles Langham called me and asked if I would do it. I was 41 years old. I wasn’t even really gray, but I had a beard. I thought, what the heck, if Judge Langham asks you to do something, you’re going to do it,” Martin, now 58, said.
What started as a favor turned into an annual tradition for Martin. Over the years, as Martin added more and more appearances as Santa Claus to his schedule, he embraced his role as Father Christmas.
“About four years in, I started purchasing more Santa items and started actively pursuing different jobs as Santa. From there, it just kind of grew as far as me doing nursing homes, preschools and special needs organizations,” Martin said.
To become Santa Claus, Martin dyed his gray hair white, bought custom-made suits, complete with vests, shirts, belts and interchangeable buckles, perfected his booming “ho, ho, ho” and “Merry Christmas” and grew out his hair and beard.
“In the beginning, I would trim my hair and beard down after the Christmas season and be normal for a while. A few years ago, I thought, who am I trying to fool, I’m going to keep doing this, so I grew out my hair and beard,” Martin said. “At first, I was worried people would think I was strange or a vagrant. I would tell them that I portray Santa Claus. Now people come up to me, people I don’t even know, and say, ‘You do Santa somewhere, don’t you?’”
To accurately portray Santa, Martin turned to more experienced Santas in the area.
“When I put all my stuff on, I look a lot like Santa Claus. But when I see some of these older guys, to me, they are Santa Claus. I’ve learned from these older guys. It’s a large community around here and they are all willing to share their knowledge,” Martin said.
From the veteran Santa Clauses he learned how to interact with children of all ages and answer difficult questions.
“This is something I learned from the other Santas. Kids are going to ask you for a pony or a dog or a motorcycle. I say, ‘Anything that breathes or uses gasoline must be given by a parent,’” Martin said. “That has saved my bacon a lot of times.”
Martin has fielded questions about Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, the elves and his sleigh.
When one child asked how the reindeer pulled the sleigh with all the presents, Martin referenced “ELF,” which featured a turbine engine on Santa’s sleigh.
“This kid was 9 or 10. We usually lose them about that time. He was very suspicious about Santa. When he asked how the reindeer pulled all the weight, I said, ‘The reindeer are merely a steering device. The actual propulsion comes from a rocket mounted to a sleigh.’ When he went back to his mom, I heard him say, ‘That’s him. That’s the real guy.’ We had a believer for at least one more year,” Martin said.
During the typical holiday season, Martin portrays Santa Claus at 20 events.
“Santa Claus has really become a calling as opposed to a thing I do to earn a little extra money. The majority of what I do now is for nonprofits and churches. That is where my heart is,” Martin said.
One of Martin’s annual Santa appearances occurred at Mosaic Mentoring of North Alabama’s holiday party.
“He was one of the best Santas. He really got down with them and spent time with them,” said Leah Brown, the former executive director of Mosaic Mentoring, which closed in July. “My kids, especially the little ones, saw Paul as Santa. He brought the magic of Christmas to my kids. For some, that was the only magic they got.”
Martin’s wife, Elizabeth Martin, attributes her husband’s ability to portray Santa to his personality.
“Paul is really just a big kid, so he can get right down to their level. Children and elderly women just love Paul,” Elizabeth Martin said.
One of Elizabeth Martin’s favorite memories occurred in Gulf Shores. While drinking a cup of coffee at a breakfast buffet, Paul Martin saw a young girl staring at him.
“Her father came over and said, ‘Sir, I’m so sorry, but my daughter is convinced you are Santa Claus and could we get a picture with you.’ As soon as they call you out, you have to become Santa. I let out a ‘ho, ho, ho,’ of course. That little girl left that restaurant knowing she took a picture with Santa at breakfast,” Paul Martin said. “It feels fantastic to give that gift to people.”
There was also the time Martin drove through the office of the Department of Education and caught a little girl’s attention.
“I had the sunroof open because it was a nice day and there was a little girl getting in a car with her father. She looked back at me and I looked at her. We locked eyes and she just smiled so big. I didn’t have any of my stuff on, but she knew it was me,” Martin said.
Every year, Martin brushes up on the movies featuring Santa Claus and the latest toy trends.
“What has surprised me is that 16 years running, Barbie is a favorite still. Other stuff comes and goes, but most little girls still want Barbies,” Martin said.
Along with children, Martin loves sharing the joy of Christmas with older adults. He listed Riverside Assisted Living as one of his favorite appearances.
“Young kids and really old people love to sit on Santa’s lap. Through the years, I have had 100-year-old women that want to sit on my lap and, of course, ask for a present. The older people really appreciate Santa and want to have some fun,” Martin said.
With multiple appearances as Santa Claus, Martin stays in the holiday spirit by listening to Christmas music.
“I listen to Christmas music on the way to appearances because it really gets me in the mood. When I walk in, I can give the people everything I have. Sometimes, after an hour or two of doing Santa, I am exhausted. If you are doing it right, you are leaving it all out there,” Martin said.
Martin plans on following in the footsteps of veteran Santa Clauses and becoming a full-time Santa Claus once he retires.
“That is still years down the road for me, but I see Santa Claus as something I can keep growing into. It’s the only occupation I can think of where I’m too young and too thin for it right now,” Martin said with a laugh.
Martin knows how lucky he is to portray Santa.
When Martin pulls on his Santa hat, the white trim covers the scars where he wore a halo.
“I was in a car accident years ago. I broke my neck, back and pelvis and tore up my face. I’m supposed to be dead or paralyzed from the neck down but here I am. I thought about having the holes where the halo was fixed, but every time I see them, it reminds me that I’m here for a reason. That reason, for me now, is to be Santa,” Martin said. “I love that when I am Santa, I can just be the symbol of pure love for the kids.”
One-on-One with Santa Paul Martin
What is one memory of being Santa that stands out? There were kids coming through asking for all sorts of toys. Then this one little kid sat in my lap and said, ‘All I want for Christmas is for my mom to be cured of cancer.’ It took my breath away and I almost cried, but I held it together. I held his hand and we said a little prayer. A week later, I learned the mother was in remission and that the kid was convinced because he prayed with Santa Claus that that’s why it happened.
What are your favorite Christmas movies or songs? I really like “ELF” and I have to watch “A Christmas Story” every year. I also love Elvis’s “Santa Claus is Back in Town.”
What is one of your favorite childhood Christmas gifts? I was 11. I got a Honda XL 75. I had begged for it and my parents were like there is no way you are getting a motorcycle. We opened all our presents and there was no motorcycle. I was still happy, but I had thought I had worked on my parents enough to get that motorcycle. They sent me across the street to the neighbors’ house to get a cup of sugar. My uncle was across the street, he pushed the button on his garage door and there was that motorcycle with a ribbon on it. I fell down in the street and started crying.