Courtesy of Talent Plus
(An important note to parents: The following might not be appropriate for skeptical children.)
Anybody can slap on an itchy fake beard and sling candy canes, but Ernie Evans, the key Santa at the Santa’s Express Train Ride at Union Station, says it’s a calling to embody Saint Nick. It’s a job he takes very seriously.
Years ago, Evans occasionally donned a fake beard while playing Santa for the Salvation Army. But some local kids—and his own gifted facial follicles—changed that. “Every time I had my beard grown out, I’d be standing at a QuikTrip and suddenly, I’ve got a 5-year-old child attached to my leg, telling me, ‘I’ve been nice!’” Evans recalls.
So he committed to portraying Santa, growing out his beard and hair. Today, Evans' beard is 12 inches long, and his hair is 24 inches long. He wears size 16 Santa boots. “And no padding is necessary,” he adds.
Looking like Santa 24/7 requires upkeep. We can’t comment on Evans’ cookie intake, but he does use a coconut oil spray (“religiously,” he says) to keep his beard lustrous. At age 57, he says his hair stubbornly refuses to turn white, but there’s a stylist in town who’s on his permanent good list.
Evans has always loved kids. He's been involved with Boy Scouts and has served as a Big Brother. One of his daughters has autism, he notes, so he’s especially attuned to visitors who require specialized attention.
“I like answering the questions," he says. "I always give a child an answer. I don’t tell a child no—telling them no without an answer is the cruelest thing of all.”
So, what are today’s kids hoping Santa will leave under the tree? “The Hatchimal,” Evans nearly groans. (The wildly popular furry creature housed in a plastic egg has become this year’s Cabbage Patch Kid, on every list and out of stock across the country.) Evans has a parent-friendly answer for the kids: “I’m so sorry. I did not realize Hatchimal was going to be so popular. I didn’t order enough supplies. We might have one by your birthday.”
When Evans plays Santa, he interacts with the parents and the kids. “You engage the adult as if the adult was still a child," he says. "‘Years ago you asked for G.I. Joe, and I brought you Ken. I’m so sorry.'”
During the off-season, Evans has worked in security and construction positions. “I actually can make toys, trucks, and dollhouses,” he says. “It’s a lost art.”
He credits Union Station with creating a truly magical experience for kids and their families. (Santa’s just part of the experience: Families can also go ice skating and tubing, meet reindeer, and more.) Making magic for a kid in a short interaction is no simple matter, but it’s one that Evans and his worldwide band of brothers take seriously.
“We stand close, the professionals, the real-bearded,” Evans says. “We correspond. We discuss what the children need. Anyone can dress up and look like Santa Claus, but can you act like one? Do you have enough child in you? You have to become a child forever.”
