Get ready, kids. I’ve met the man, and he’s authentic. Jolly, just as he says. And, he knows everything. Our conversation ends with confirmation that I’m on the NICE list; however, my husband still has work to do in order to move from the NAUGHTY to NICE list. Even months before Christmas, he knows, and he’s taking notes.
He begins our talk with the same exuberance as it ends, filled with a jolly laugh and a “Santa Rick knows.” As our conversation moves forward, my own attitude becomes more positive and joyful. “I always go by Santa Rick — always — in my professional life and in my personal life,” Santa Rick explained.
Top of The Class
Santa Rick — aka Rick Rosenthal— began his career in the late 1960s and has been exuding the spirit of Santa ever since. His belief, “the world belongs to the children,” guides him in his role as Santa and as an educator. As the founder of the Northern Lights Santa Academy in Atlanta, his goal is to “energize students for the monumental responsibility of being Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and elves.”
“My wife Tracy and I started the Northern Lights Santa Academy in 2016 with 65 students, and since then, we have grown into the second largest academy for Professional Christmas Performers in the United States,” Rosenthal explained. “We started the school because, while all schools are beneficial, we wanted to provide a more intense and well-rounded curriculum, introducing new topics to our performers, and to increase the retention level of students by utilizing all three methods of learning (visual, auditory and tactile) rather than just lecture format.”
Considered the largest school for holiday performers in the Southeast, the academy trains students at various experience levels — with or without a real beard, though Rosenthal’s is real, registered with the National Beard Registry — with a fresh approach on taking on the holiday persona. Classes rotate on a seasonal basis and happen throughout the year. Although overwhelming and daunting at first, with continued education, skills are honed and character is created.
The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Being a member of the Claus family is not as simple as putting on a red suit. “You must become Santa and not ‘play Santa,’” Rosenthal said. “You must know how to answer any and all questions that children may ask you in order to keep Santa alive in the eyes of each child. Santa is unlimited in wisdom, and students must learn how to address the specific needs and requests, both big and small, of each child. Santa is not a costume you wear; it is a spirit you embody. It is his non-judgmental acceptance, unlimited love and pure inspiration of imagination and hope. What could be better for every child on earth than that?”
Performers are also trained on how to interact with special needs children. “We offer the only workshop where we actually bring in special needs children with their families for a one-on-one visit with Santa (and Mrs. Claus) in a private room and enable our students to watch the interaction through a live stream to the classroom,” Rosenthal explained. “We follow this with a panel discussion that includes the Santas and Mrs. Clauses who participated as well as the families of the children. We discuss how to create more meaningful visits for children.”
Diversity is one of the cornerstones of the academy’s curriculum. “Families who celebrate Christmas come from different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities,” Rosenthal said. “And as Santa has evolved, so too has the public’s desire for a Santa Claus of the same ethnicity who embodies their culture. As an industry, we want cultural and ethnic inclusion and acceptance.”
“There are some things about Santa that are iconic and don’t change,” he continued. “Santa has a white beard. In American tradition, Santa has a red suit. Santa lives at the North Pole with Mrs. Claus and the elves. Santa delivers presents on Christmas Eve to all the children of the world. But it is also important to have cultural representation so that children can see that someone as magical and as amazing as Santa can be black like them or speak to them in their language.”
Bringing Out the Best in Everyone
As Rosenthal prepares for the holiday season with the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Hawks, and possibly on-screen with Hallmark and other networks and entities, it’s his work with the Atlanta children’s hospitals (CHOA Egleston and Scottish Rite) that offers his best gift. “It is always a humbling experience to be a part of these intimate visits with each of the children and see how much joy it brings to them and their families,” he said. “Sadly, some of the children we meet may not be going home, and to be able to offer them some joy and comfort is truly a gift.”
Making connections with people of all ages, regardless of power and position, is what Santa Rick looks forward to most during the holiday season.
“As the world continues to face challenges and people are less kind, especially in the age of social media, I truly believe Christmas and Santa bring out the best in people,” he said. “Seeing Santa takes them to a happy place. When people interact with Santa, it fosters hope and sparks imagination. It just makes people feel good, and that is what I treasure most about being Santa, bringing happiness to the people who interact with me.”
Rosenthal understands than had he not become Santa, his view of the Christmas season would be entirely different.
“As a professionally trained Claus family member, you not only see the world differently, you receive the world differently,” Rosenthal said. “Every Claus family member has experienced two different Christmas holiday seasons in their lives: the one they grew up with (from the outside) and the one from the inside of the North Pole as a Claus member. Your love and appreciation for Christmas expands tenfold, and the Christmas spirit becomes part of your life on a daily basis. Being a member of the Claus family makes you a nicer, more positive, less judgmental person, and quite simply, you are happier and jollier than you were before the transition.”
When Rosenthal is not at the North Pole, he enjoys gardening, singing and metal detecting.
For More Information
Are you an aspiring Santa? Find out more about the Northern Lights Santa Academy on their website at northernlightssantaacademy.com.
