Meet the Real Santas

But being Santa isn't all fun and games. At this summer's convention, the men learned the hazards of overbleaching a beard--the whiskers can snap off. On a more sober note, they discussed what to do if a child's Christmas wish is for a parent to stop hitting him or her. "Santa can't just get up from his chair and go make a phone call to child services," Connaghan says. One strategy: Urge the child to confide in a teacher until the teacher believes it.

Looking like Santa demands a certain demeanor even when not dandling kids on one's knee. "If someone cuts you off on the freeway, all you can do is smile and wave," says Connaghan, who has played Santa in the Hollywood Christmas Parade.

And then there's the challenge of managing the expectations of Mrs. Santa. Most members of the order are married--and for an impressive average of 24 years, according to the poll. But not all the wives were enamored when their men opted for the St. Nick look. "At first she thought it was nuts," says Tom Kliner of Kelowna, B.C. "Then I got her to play Mrs. Claus. She fell in love with it too."