Florida’s Santas, Mrs. Clauses Adapt In The Era Of Coronavirus

FLORIDA — Visits with Santa have been a longstanding tradition for many families during the holiday season. But this year, things are different because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Many large gatherings have been scaled down or gone virtual. And many who play jolly old St. Nick and his wife, Mrs. Claus, are reluctant to see children in person for fear of catching or spreading the respiratory virus that causes COVID-19.

Patch recently spoke with several Floridians who play Santa and Mrs. Claus to see how they’ve adapted their roles during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dan Ciferri, Port St. Lucie

Dan Ciferri was introduced to the world of Santa through his uncle, a Santa trainer for Macy’s. He suggested that his nephew give the jolly role a shot about 17 years ago.

“At the time, I was more than 400 pounds, a pretty good size, and he said, ‘You ought to play Santa,’” Ciferri said. “So, I played Santa. I loved being with the kids. I enjoyed being around them and doing things with them.”

The Treasure Coast Santa started with a fake beard. After his second year, he began attending schools to perfect his performance. His teachers all agreed on one piece of advice: A real professional Santa has a real beard.

“So, I grew myself a beard,” he said. “I’ve been real bearded for about 15 years.”

The former restaurant owner and school bus driver has focused most of his efforts on his Santa role in recent years. He’s usually in high demand at this time, even booking his events up to a year in advance.

Last year, Ciferri appeared at 74 events. That was on top of working at a Christmas tree farm five nights a week, he said. “I make a year’s salary in 30 days.”

And while he’s lost all of his events because of the coronavirus pandemic this season, he knows he’s luckier than most.

He said, “I’m retired and able to not have to worry about the money, but I know a lot of Santas really thrive on doing it.”

They benefit financially, mentally and emotionally, he said. And while COVID-19 has impacted many industries, it’s especially bad for Santas who love connecting with children and their families in person at this time of year. One of his good friends died this fall after so many months of isolation.

“He’s been doing Santa for close to 40 years,” Ciferri said. “He got depressed knowing he couldn’t do the events this year. It got him so depressed it killed him. He couldn’t go out and do Santa Claus this year. He was 81. It was heartbreaking to hear what happened to him.”

When the pandemic started this spring, Ciferri knew right away that it would affect the holiday season.

“I was kind of hoping that they would have had everything settled by then with the vaccine, but that didn’t happen,” he said.

He already had 14 major events — a couple of parades, tree lightings — scheduled by February, but as COVID-19 spread, he knew they would likely be canceled. And one by one, they were.

“Nobody’s doing anything this year,” he said.

It’s for the best, the 69-year-old Santa added. “This year, I’m not doing anything personally, anyway. I’m a little afraid of the virus. I don’t want to catch it, and you don’t know who some of these kids are and if their families had the virus or has it. I’ve elected to stay away from it this year; and a lot of very good friends of mine, some who have been doing it for 40 years, are doing the same thing. … I’m going to miss it this year.”

Learn more about Dan Ciferri online here.

Jean Sheridan, Dunedin

In 2009, Jean Sheridan took her first improv class. As she was caring for her aunt and working full time, she felt it was something she could look forward to.

“I felt like I needed something fun to do,” she said.

She loved it so much that she went on to take additional acting classes through the American Stage Theatre Company in St. Petersburg.

By 2013, Sheridan, now 64, began thinking about roles she could audition for.

“I looked in the mirror and thought, 'Who could I legitimately play as someone in my late 50s with gray hair?’” she said. “The answer was Mrs. Claus.”

She didn’t know how to find such a role, though. But one of her former instructors connected her with the manager of Christmas Town at Busch Gardens. Though all their Mrs. Claus roles were filled that year, they asked her to come in for an audition and hired her on the spot anyway.

“They need a lot of Santas and a lot of Mrs. Clauses,” she said. “It’s hard work, and they need to have significant breaks.”

Sheridan worked at the theme park for two years. Then, other parts of her life needed more focus. She had lost her full-time job and put all her efforts into finding steady work.

“As fun as Mrs. Claus was, it wasn’t going to pay the bills,” she said.

Still, she had purchased a Mrs. Claus outfit and hung onto it in case any gigs came her way during the holidays. And she did eventually return to seeking out Mrs. Claus gigs through businesses and nonprofit organizations.

“That’s when I had the rude awakening to discover that most people didn’t want Mrs. Claus. They wanted Santa,” she said.

Even if an event wanted to hire Mrs. Claus, usually they wanted her to tag along with a Santa for free.

“Santa’s out there making $200 an hour, and Mrs. Claus can’t get enough to pay for her gas,” Sheridan said.

She even considered promoting herself as Santa.

“Then I’d show up as a female, but I wasn’t ready for that level of controversy,” she said.

She took a year off from playing Mrs. Claus but in recent years has done some gigs at restaurants in Dunedin and Clearwater for donations from families.

Then, the coronavirus hit. Just as she thought she wasn’t going to take on the role again this year because of the pandemic, she discovered Jingle Ring. Based in Georgia, the national service helps Santas and Mrs. Clauses find virtual work during the holidays.

Those interested in booking her through Jingle Ring can do so here. She’s also offering affordable Zoom visits up to 10 minutes long for $20. She’ll accept payment through PayPal, and anyone interested in booking her can email MrsClausClearwater@gmail.com.

Ross Tarr, St. Petersburg

Ross Tarr always said that he didn’t want to be Santa.

“I was dragged into it kicking and screaming,” he said.

He’d watched his father play Santa for years and was always adamant that he’d never take on the role.

“He was a professional Santa, a clown, a leprechaun, a magician, a clogging dancer, wire walker — he did everything,” said Tarr.

Then, in his early 30s, he became the president of the junior chamber of commerce in his hometown, Chicago. One of the organization’s annual traditions was a large holiday party for people with special needs. When he was 34, a Santa was needed for the event, and other members of the group forced him to play the part.

That single event changed his feelings about playing Santa. He hadn’t expected to enjoy it so much, but he did.

“Those folks were so wonderful. It was like someone had just given you a big dish of absolutely pure love. It was the most remarkable experience of my life,” he said. “Love is the only thing you could say about it. Pure love. It radiated from these folks.”

For the next 30 years, Tarr played Santa on and off for fraternal and charity groups. It wasn’t until he was living in Florida that he took the role on professionally.

About 10 years ago, while living on his sailboat at St. Petersburg, a woman he knew convinced him to play Santa at the marina Christmas party.

“Those days, I had the standard captain’s beard,” he said. “And all the kids in the marina had already been calling me Santa anyway.”

He showed up at the party wearing a red T-shirt that said, “Does this shirt make me look fat?” and a Santa hat.

“And we had a ball,” Tarr said. “That was it. I was doing Santa every year.”

The next year, he found himself hired for a gig at the Staten Island Mall right after Hurricane Sandy had devastated the area.

“The stories I heard from the kids that year, you never forget,” he said. “It’s kind of like now. People were absolutely financially crushed, emotionally crushed.”

One little girl still stands out in his memories of that holiday season.

She told him, “You don’t have to bring me anything at all. You just have to bring me a stove for my mommy.”

After talking with the girl, Tarr found out that her family’s home had flooded during Sandy and their kitchen had collapsed. They were living in the rest of their home but couldn’t afford to rebuild the kitchen yet.

Another girl told him, “Daddy said he can’t afford Christmas this year. Don’t bring me anything, but my little sister wants a baby.”

Tarr said, “It’s times like that it’s hard to sit there and just go, ‘Ho, ho, ho.’”

In the Tampa Bay area, he’s worked numerous events, including holiday parties at the Dunedin History Museum and events with Manatee County Parks.

“This year, I just can’t join them,” he said.

While many events have been canceled, he was surprised to learn that some were still going forward. At 79, though, he didn’t feel comfortable attending large group events in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s hardly left his downtown St. Petersburg apartment since March.

A writer and storyteller who leads a local storytelling nonprofit, his virtual meetings with the group have kept him going through the pandemic.

“It’s depressing, very depressing,” Tarr said. “If I didn’t have Zoom, I would just be crawling the walls.”

Since he’s on Zoom so frequently, it was easy for him to transition to booking virtual visits with Santa. The idea came after one of his daughters’ mother’s group asked him to appear at a virtual event. Initially, the event included a small group of parents in the Chicago suburbs. It grew include families across the country – Florida, New York, Los Angeles.

Another of his daughters helped him revamp his website to reflect his availability for virtual sessions. Those interested in booking Tarr can do so online here.

He also created two sets for these virtual visits in his apartment – one an indoor scene, the other outdoors. In November, he pulled out all his Christmas decorations and Santa gear to transform his living space.

“I get to have some fun with it — and, again, it helps my sanity,” he said.

Once the pandemic has passed, he’s worried about losing his longstanding Santa gigs. He’s turned down numerous events this year.

“I think there are probably a good number of people who won’t forgive me for not doing it this year,” Tarr said. “They’re not worried about it. They’re operating as if we don’t have a problem.”

He added, “And it’s difficult for me to say no. I love those kids. They make your whole year. They make you feel glad to be alive. They make you feel like you have some value.”

Robert Gresham IV and Patricia Gresham, Jacksonville

When his father, an elementary school principal, asked Robert Gresham IV to play Santa in the school’s Christmas play, he initially wasn’t interested.

“My first thought was, ‘Man, I’m not doing that,’” Robert said. “But he twisted my arm until I said yes. I did it and I fell in love with it, and I’ve done it every year since.”

After that first play, his wife, Patricia Gresham, has joined him to play Mrs. Claus at many of the school and charity events he booked.

Three years ago, they realized there was no longer a Black Santa in the Jacksonville area, and they launched a full-fledged seasonal business, Black Santa Jax.

“Historically, Jacksonville is a community that had a Black Santa, but there weren’t any in our area,” Patricia said. “We wanted to see if we could fill that void. This business grew out of the need. Basically, it’s something that was missing in our community.”

Robert added, “It’s gotten bigger and bigger every year.”

Initially, though, there was some pushback about his being a Black Santa.

“People were like, ‘Why Santa gotta be this? Why Santa gotta be that?’” he said. “But representation matters. I think it’s super important that kids see a Santa that looks like them. It’s something that’s needed in our community.”

They’re amazed to see some families from around the Southeast — Georgia, the Carolinas, even as far away as Canada — travel to visit them every Christmas.

“Folks see us every single year. They make that drive,” Robert said.

While many Santas, who tend to be older, have avoided in-person events during this year’s holiday season, the Greshams, who are both 38, have embraced them. In fact, they saw it as an opportunity to grow their business, renting a larger space in a higher-profile shopping area, River City Market Place.

“This pandemic has really thrown us for a loop, but we’re taking it as an opportunity to try something new,” Robert said. “COVID-19 has got people feeling some type of way, so we’re offering virtual Santa and also offering in person for parents who want their child to be able to see Santa and get that sense of normalcy in the midst of this pandemic.”

They’re following all safety protocols, Patricia added. All visits are by appointment only to cut down on long lines in the studio. Everything is cashless as well. Families wear their masks in the studio at all times they’re not having a photo taken. And all visits with Santa, who wears a face shield, are socially distanced.

“That’s the sad part. They’re so far from Santa,” she said. “The parents don’t like that part, but the kids still talk to Santa and tell him what they’d like for Christmas. So far, overall, the parents are really enjoying the experience.”

She added, “We're really letting parents know that Santa’s safety is important, and we also care about your family's safety.”

Their space this season is five times the size of what they’re used to working with. The additional space this year allowed the couple to build a Winter Wonderland in their studio. Santa has a life-size sled and a workshop. There’s a North Pole forest for kids to explore. And, of course, there’s a giant Frosty the snowman for pictures and ambiance. There’s also a toy store, a candy store and a merchandising section set up.

“It’s a fully immersive experience,” Robert said. “At the start of the pandemic, we said, ‘This year, we’re going to bet on ourselves, because we believe the kids need to see Santa in person in the pandemic.’”

Usually, their busiest time is the week before Christmas. This year, in mid-November, they were already heavily booked. They expect these numbers to continue through the season.

“That just shows you that the kids need this, the families need this,” Robert said. “And Santa needs this.”

Learn more about Black Santa Jax and book a visit with him online here.

Nick Cardello, Brandon

While visiting Universal Studios four years ago, Nick Cardello saw a child in a gift shop tugging on their mother’s sleeve, pointing at him and asking if he was Santa.

Now 57, the Brandon resident laughed about that interaction. He’d always had a beard, but he “went white early,” he said. It was this incident, though, that made him realize that he was meant to play Santa.

“My love of cookies kind of made my body fill out to Santa Claus proportions. My beard grew white, and the rest is history,” he said. “And my name is Nicholas. How much better can you go? It was destiny.”

Cardello added, “I figured if I’m going to look like this, I’d better learn the part.”

That same year, he attended the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Michigan, the oldest school of its kind in the United States.

He quickly embraced the role of Santa, booking numerous gigs in the Tampa Bay area — the Channelside tree lighting, the Safety Harbor holiday parade — and beyond. Two years ago, he even spent an entire holiday season playing Santa for two five-star hotels Sichuan China.

They invited him back again last year, but he turned them down. By then, COVID-19 was already moving through China.

“Things were a little iffy over there,” Cardello said.

It wound up being the right choice, he added. A friend he had made on a previous trip, a popular British Mr. Bean impersonator, was stuck in Wuhan for six months because of the pandemic and couldn’t leave until the mandatory quarantine was lifted.

That same pandemic is now impacting the holiday season in the United States. When the spread of coronavirus became rampant here in the spring, he knew this Christmas would be different.

Having spent 20 years working in health care, Cardello said that he “knew this thing was not going to clear up soon. When people began denying that it’s even real, that was really worrisome.”

Even with a vaccine, he’s uncertain about what Christmas in 2021 will look like. Because there’s no way of knowing who’s vaccinated and who isn’t, masks will likely still be needed, he said. And clear face shields aren’t safe because it’s an airborne virus.

Adapting to the pandemic, he began building a home Santa studio in March. A photographer, he had some lighting equipment already but needed to purchase lighting specific for live videos. He also purchased recording equipment and upgraded his internet. It was an investment, he said, but it’s worth it.

Cardello has been invited to do in-person events but has turned them all down. Instead, he’s building his virtual business.

He’s booking visits with Santa through Jingle Ring, a national platform, as well as his own website. Those interested in booking with him can learn more online here.

Despite the pandemic, he’s trying to stay positive.

“The silver lining with the whole COVID (pandemic), if you can call it that, is with the virtual visits, we’re able to see a lot more kids this year,” he said.

In the past, home visits usually last two to three hours. Now, he can see as many as five families virtually in a single hour.

It’s connecting people in new ways over the holidays, Cardello said. “Zoom has really taken off as a platform. Kids are using it every day for school, so they’re used to the technology. And this is an opportunity (for them) to see Santa here at the North Pole from their home.”