How To Hire A SAFE SANTA CLAUS

 Finally people are starting to do local and nationwide background checks on individuals who are applying for Santa Claus Positions.

Several of my fellow Santa's who promote Santa's are doing training and background checks using ESR, and the other Employment Screening Resources that are available. Most of the county sheriff departments will do a fingerprint and background check if you request one and pay a nominal fee.You can simplify your Santa hiring for 2008 by contacting me or one of my fellow Buckeye Santa's here in Ohio. You can do effective screening yourself by using  these suggestions and several of the excellent background checking Companies on the internet.

I cannot believe the lack of caution and security most individuals take when they hire a Santa for their home or event. I write this because I am have been SantaClarence for Several years and I have worked and associated with Santa's here in Columbus Ohio,Michigan,Santa Monica,CA and in various parts of the Country. Like every profession there are good ones, bad ones, and yes very unusual  Santas !!! You just need to screen out the Dangerous ones so we do not lose the true Spirit of Santa!!!

My concern is people get caught up in the holiday mystique and hire just about anyone who will wear the red suit. Some people still rent a suit and pick the nearest wino on the street to fill it for a few bucks. The Santa business is just like any other you get exactly what you pay for. Eventhough they have seen the TV Show To Catch a Predator they will still  let individuals into their homes and businesses almost at a wim as long as they have the red suit and beard without doing any background check. Some Santa's drink and dope too much while working and should not be playing Santa Claus around children perhaps around anyone.Children shouldn't be exposed to Santa's with booze,smoke,garlic on their breath.The worse Santa I ever saw would take breaks and snort coke of the back of his hand in the mens room toilet in a mall where we were working. I have often seen a fellow Santa's whip out a flask and take a nip or two before going on stage! all of that behavior is very unprofessional. I even saw one so drunk on a home video he fell off of the  garage roof while making a delivery. That was a father of one of the children at a party.Some of the Santa's in malls and other places are literally scraped off the streets for the holiday working at less than minimum wage and most have not been evaluated for TB and other serious communicable diseases if the immune system weak,and many are during the busy holiday season that disease is going to spread. Those germs are going to have a feld day and get spread around and someone else is going to get sick and you don't want it to be your child or anyone in your home or business. Most child care systems and schools require at a minimum a written verification of a regularly scheduled TB test.

                                  The Woodland Santa is my Favorite because I am from the Woods near Dublin Michigan.  LOL-HoHoHo

         Actually mall Santa's and visiting Children in large groups are as my MD says incubators for serious flu and cold outbreaks because of the congregation of people all in one place. During the vulnerable holiday time of the year. It is much safer and personable and even a nice family gift to have a photo shoot in your home early in the fall. Especially when so many people are simply not taking basic care of themselves or their children during the Holiday Time. I have spent many seasons out of work because of a child delivered my gift a serious virus directly from a Day Care Center to Santa,hey this is hazardous duty!LOLOL/HoHoHo 

Often parents simply do not think or evaluate and hire street predators unwittingly to bring into their homes.These full time predators are often skilled criminals. It is like opening your door and letting the stalker right in.Certainly you have seen the coverage about the pedophile who is going around snapping photos of little girls at their events. Very Sick Man! Now he will probably see this and rent a Santa Costume for 50.00.

I had a long talk with one during the Thanksgiving holidays last year and he very honestly told me what he had to do to survive and feed his habit! His stories would make the hair stand on the back of your neck as it did mine and the Law does not apply to him until he does something illegal and he knows that. He knows the Law better than those enforcing it. He is as despicable as any person you have heard of. He should be on America's Most Wanted. The Social Case work files I had access to during my social work and adoption years are filled with such predators. Most of them are family members dressed as a clown,a Santa,a scout leader,a puppeteer,church youth leader,teacher,coach,and on and on. Most of these individuals seek positions for legitimate work but mainly to access children in some acceptable way. Some of them are still in prison today and I helped put some of them in there. Believe me the ranks of the working Santa's are filed with criminals of all sorts,with pedophiles, and street predators that would make the the predator news shows, Internet predators,and those mentioned here pale in comparison. You must do your part to protect the Children you love under your care.

There is no real or active National clearing house for Santa's like the F.B.I. finger printing system for other social child care programs. Most agencies and businesses do not do background checks when it comes to their talent files. There are no medical requirements or screening programs either.( Update: Information) There are several Santa agents now doing the basic ESR screening and other screening and providing a list of trained professionals Santa's screened and ready to work in your area.) Some Santa's like myself are bonded and insured . That is a positive steps in the right direction.To be absolutely sure of any investigative system today you actually need to see a certified cash bond!

The closest thing to any real international Santa organization is the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santa's ,A.O.R.B.S. located in Riverside California see this December 2006 issue of Time magazine for more information on that organization. These guys of which I am one and the Director of Ohio State AORBS Santa's. We in most part keep their eyes out for any Santa's who may be up to no good. But it is sort of a minimal peer check that is a little better than no check at all but not much because we don't see each other that often and a lot of new bearded baby boomer's are joining our ranks every day. I have proposed that we should  do background checks in AORBS. but some of the officers have told me that is too expensive. Actually AORBS is a viable organization at this point they do not realize that they cannot afford to NOT do background check and charge the new members for that cost. It remains to be seen how long the leadership will stay in denial.

AORBS is one of the more professional organizations for organizing the real bearded Santa's but they do not actually screen applicants who are on their membership rolls.The group has absolutely nothing to do with the Fake bearded Santa's, or investigating fake Santa's of any kind.

You the parent or Grandparent must do your own screening to protect your children. You may laugh and say that isn't necessary and try to shoot down this messenger, but if you do, you fail to recognize how serious the epidemic pedophile problem is in this Nation and the World. You are in denial my dear reader and that is when the predator takes over ask any single woman who has had a predator move in with her only to find out all  her children and neighbors children have been abused, My social work experience tells  me the pedophile like the sociopath believes his behavior is absolutely normal and the rest of the world is sick! Those with a religion where a significant other,Priest or Minister, abused them have their brains switched,they think God is a pervert and they are just doing Gods Will.  The incest, perversion,pain, just spreads and takes over a whole community or family for generations and everybody lives in denial waiting for the new Sheriff to come to town!I have talked with them too. I have read hundreds of social workers case records to try to figure out why men/women will do this to their children. Most of the kids in foster care and adoption have been abused not only at the birth home but by their caretakers as well. Recent TV News is bringing out the family and community secrets of  facts. Take a look at that Bazaar Karr Thailand  Case, (Update; A new case of a Canadian Pedophile English Teacher)if anyone really wanted to do anything about this they would have Home Land Security investigate every person with a passport going to Thailand.Mark Foley Washington D.C or the recent classic case episode of the  Catholic Priest was found guilty in Toledo Ohio and he had killed a nun,a fellow peer, years ago to hide his evil practices that were said by a trial witness included child abuse and a adult who was abused as a child testified in that bazaar case. What do you think the disabling 6 million dollar lawsuit against the Catholic church in California is all about? That is how twisted it can get. Everybody in that community obviously looked the other way. We are far from the end of the list my friends. These sick individuals within sacred organizations are on the rampage as more and more of them are discovered.

What you don't know can hurt you or a loved one, or maybe you do know that a Santa Claus was in Jon Benet' Home that Christmas of her murder, He was a retired College Journalism professor who played Santa for she and her family and was at a private Christmas Party at her home. I will not name him because he hasn't been accused of any crime and may not be guilty. He and his wife moved from Colorado to the East Coast after much scrutiny by investigators.However, in that weird case it has recently been written that his wife also a  journalism professor had published a book about a man playing Santa who sexually assaulted and killed a little girl a basement years earlier prior to the Jon Benet Murder. 

You need not fear if you contract your Santa with the same consistent security measures of any other person you bring into your house or business. When I lived in Traverse City Michigan there was a Computer repairman who would repair computers during the day and come back later to steal them at night he had a great business until an alert business person put two and two together and the thief's wife reported him to the authorities during a marriage dispute. He is now in prison.

 Remember any repair  or service person you let in your home has a mouth and that mouth often opens with information in the wrong places. Remember the saying Loose Lips sink Ships!

 If you are not going to hire a Santa from a firm that screens for you  by the way those Santa's are usually a bit costlier due to additional costs of screening and insurance and assurances but it is worth it. Have your Santa fill out a complete written application with all the obvious questions that are legal on your application. Items you can cross reference and check against existing criminal records and on the internet. You need to do this far in advance of the holiday season.It is good to start the procedure around the 4th of July every year to get the very best Santa's scheduled early. Make sure at the same time you find a Santa backup or stand-in so you do not have to hire under emergency conditions should your Santa get sick or injured.

 Get your Santa's social security number,driver's license number,and verified home address and phone numbers of business as well as home,email,anything you can verify. Get a copy of his entertainment Insurance certificate or his Bond. Always ask for a copy of  a video tape of performance or event photos and make sure he is the Santa in the photo.  There are also imposter's who used the public information of others to access the children. Ask for photographs and times and dates of events or Santa assignments and check them. Some Santa's just simply use the identity, photographs and videos of other Santa's.Take the time to check all this out in a a sit down interview process and have a spouse, friend,or professional sit in on the interview. Always use a minimum of three interviewers if at all possible and take the time to compare insights after the interview.Check and make sure you have cross referenced information you gather with local authorities, and especially against the local internet predator file. Finally vote, go with your gut feelings.

If you follow all these security steps you should be safe to enjoy your Santa experience, I don't  mean to dampen your Holiday feelings or the Spirit of Santa because that  is very real and especially nice for the children!! We all long for a secure,simpler, and more wholesome world and until it gets here I  wanted to alert you as to the problems and how you can be proactive and prevent these tragic events. Remember Homeland Security begins in the home.

Thank You for reading all my ramblings and eBay Guides please do not forget to score the helpfulness level.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year of PEACE 2009

God Bless,

SantaClarence