‘Santa doesn’t scratch himself’

Santa do’s and don’ts, from Santa Rick

By Donna Williams Lewis

Rick “Santa Rick” Rosenthal, founder and dean of Atlanta’s Northern Lights Santa Academy, is a big-time stickler about Santas, whom he believes should be “regal and pristine.”

“You have to know how to be Santa, inside and outside and all around him,” he said. For example, “Santa doesn’t scratch himself wherever he itches,” Rosenthal said. “He doesn’t drink anything but water or milk, except in America he can have a Coke.”

Santa’s suit should be “luxurious,” he said, adding that quality suits typically run from $800 to $1,200 but can go for much higher. The belt should be of thick, high-grade leather “with a fantastic buckle,” he said.

In his ideal Santa world, the beard either needs to be real or look real and needs to be as white as snow and perfectly trimmed. Rosenthal said he spends plenty of “emasculating” time at a hair salon getting his own hair bleached.

“My hair has to be beautiful, like a 20-year-old model’s on a Clairol box,” he said.

Santa must also know his back story and be prepared to handle the kind of questions he might get from a 4-year-old who asks for an iPhone 7 for Christmas. That actually happens, he said.

“Children are getting smarter,” Rosenthal said. “You have to know how to answer their questions like, ‘If you’re Santa, what’s my name?’”

He likes to reply with something like “Peppermint,” and tell the child that’s their name in North Pole language. “You can’t break character, even with parents,” Rosenthal said.

Santa Rick says he doesn’t like to say he’s “Santa to the Stars,” but he is, sort of. His clients include some of Atlanta’s large law firms. He’s been Santa at Hollywood parties, and he’s become part of the holiday traditions being built at Buckhead’s The Whitley hotel, formerly the Ritz-Carlton, which issued this statement about Santa Rick:

“His presence and disposition really enhance the festive atmosphere at our Christmas events, and we’re excited he’ll be visiting us this year for our Children’s Tea with Santa as well as our Christmas Day brunch. Our team loves working with him, and we know he’ll be a holiday highlight for years to come as we create special memories and Whitley traditions for Atlantans and travelers.”

But whether he’s hobnobbing with the rich and famous or volunteering as Santa Rick for the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta or others in need, he’s still just Santa, he says.

“You don’t just wake up as Santa. When you put on the suit, it changes you. The suit magnifies the way you feel. You start to be, for me, anyway. You become Santa,” he said. “There’s nothing more challenging and more rewarding in the whole world.”