Marathon week is here in Houma
November 28, 2012Travel costs increase slightly
November 28, 2012
Christmas decorations and retail readiness is being seen throughout the Tri-parish region. Parents are telling children that Santa Claus will be visiting soon. What they might now realize is how nearby the jolly gift-giver already is to them.
Just ask Verlon Daigle – one of Santa’s best helpers. Daigle admitted this week that a bearded man attired in a familiar red velvet outfit with fur trim, wearing black boots and topped with a red hat is often spotted emerging from his home in Bayou Blue.
For 16 years, Daigle’s seasonal alter ego has entertained children during school programs, senior citizens at retirement facilities and almost everyone else at church events or private parties.
For this Santa’s helper, what began as simply an enjoyable thing to do has become a business of brightening the season for not only those who still believe, but those willing to do so again, if only for a few weeks once a year.
“I retired from oilfield construction after 26 years,” Daigle said. “I started growing a beard about 18 years ago. It turned out to be pretty white and my wife, Pat [who handles bookings and business details], said, ‘You look like Santa Claus.’ It all grew from there, but we don’t really call it a business. We call it a ‘what if’ because what if somebody calls? Well, then we will go.”
Daigle, 69, started making certain Santa Claus would fulfill regular December appearances by arrive at TARC programs for three years. “I was there during the season for about three or four nights a week,” he said.
From there, requests for Santa appearances grew. “For 10 years I was at Bayou Blue School where all my children and grandchildren went.”
Added school appearances meant Santa had to meet consumer demand. Last season, Daigle estimated that more than 850 children were able to offer this helper of the North Pole patriarch a list of wants and wishes.
“For the last several years you mostly hear requests for the new electronic gadgets, iPads or whatever,” Santa’s helper said. “While I’m talking to the kids I ask them their names, how old they are, what they do at school and if they like their teacher. I’ll ask their teacher’s name, then tell them I remember when their teacher was about their age and what that teacher liked.”
Daigle said as Santa Claus he has learned to occasionally expect the unexpected. He admitted some requests can be heartbreaking during what is intended to be a heartwarming experience.
“I’ve had some children tell Santa Claus that their mom and dad don’t get along or just got divorced or are not living together and ask if I can fix it,” he said. “All you can say is, ‘We will see if we can work on that for you.’ I never give them any promises. I can’t promise those kinds of things, but Santa can see what he can do.”
Sometimes children have situations from which a visit with Santa Claus results in helping parents appreciate the spirit of this season.
“I remember one little girl that was seven or eight. She couldn’t get out of her wheelchair and didn’t talk much,” Santa’s spokesman said. “She wanted me to hold her hand and talk to her during the school program. Later, her parents called me and wanted to have Santa Claus for a party at their house. It was a special occasion for me.”
Santa’s helper revealed chocolate chip as the favorite cookie and said it is always best with just a small glass of milk. He admitted, while patting his belly, that the wife advises not too many cookies.
Talking to Santa Claus’ admirers, which include children of all ages, is the most rewarding part of this work, according to Daigle. “When the kids get to be 11 and 12 years old they don’t want to believe anymore,” he said to identify the greatest challenge.
The disappointment for Santa Claus and children alike are government regulations imposed on schools, which require parents to sign a permission slip before a child is permitted to visit Santa.
“If the parent forgets or does not sign that form, their children are left out and have to stay back while the other kids are involved,” Daigle said. “When you are invited to a house party, then everyone expects it is OK to visit with Santa.”
Daigle explained that visits from Santa Claus are charged by the hour (possibly an explanation as to how he gets around the globe so quickly on Christmas Eve), but declined to offer an exact rate. The impression was it sometimes depends on how naughty or nice the recipient of a visit has been. “I kind of keep that to myself,” he said with a familiar chuckle.
It takes about an hour to get Santa Claus prepared for a visit, including costuming and grooming, before leaving his house. “I don’t smoke and don’t drink and don’t have bad breath,” he said. “I keep it clean.”
Daigle said his representation is not the same as a department store or mall Santa, because he sees those individuals as being restricted in the amount of time they can spend with children. “I can pick and choose,” he said. “I don’t want to do a store Santa because I think they are too commercialized.”
Just as Santa Claus continues to make the rounds from year to year, Daigle said he intends to keep going as long as possible, while making his list and checking it twice.
Momma always said Santa Claus was watching. She just did not reveal how nearby he might be.
One of Santa Claus’ best helpers is Vernon Daigle, who says portraying the jolly icon is best done with genuine caring for children. He says store Santas often lack the time to make lasting impressions on those that believe the Christmas spirit is real.
