The Claus cause

WRITTEN BY JOANNA O’LEARY

If Christmas is the Superbowl of holidays, then Santa Claus is the quarterback. And just as in any given season there are many terrific QBs, each year there are a plethora of people primed to play Santa. Maine may be the ninth least populous state in the nation, but in terms of men (and women) masquerading as Father Christmas, there is far from a shortage. We talked to Mr. and Mrs. Clauses across Maine to learn about their motivations for embodying these iconic characters, as well as their experiences on the job.

For Tony Marshall, who serves as Santa Claus at fundraising events for the VOGM Support Network of Bangor, inspiration for playing St. Nick came early.

“When I was young, Mike Dolly was Santa Claus on WABI TV in Bangor. My Mom told me I would bounce around the house after the show, and say, ‘Well, well, well, what would you like old Santa to bring you for Christmas?’ I was about 5 years old! When my hair and beard turned white at 45 years old, I took it as a sign!” 

Similarly, Markus and Angelique Steelgrave, aka Mr. and Mrs. Claus of Southern Maine Santa, have been honing their craft for decades. Markus donned the red jumpsuit for the first time about 50 years ago. 

“I was working at a department store during the holidays as an elf, and one day Santa reported for duty ‘under the weather,’ shall we say. The manager quickly grabbed a spare suit, beard, wig, and hat, and told me to get dressed in that and go out and keep the kids from being disappointed,” Steelgrave said. “The kids’ reactions to me as a ‘real’ Santa were great, and that’s a feeling that still keeps me going.” 

His partner in Claus and in life, Angelique, also has been on the jolly job for decades. 

“I’ve been a professional performer all my adult life, mainly an actor. When Markus and I got together 22 years ago, I initially played an elf to his Santa. After a couple of seasons of that I decided to make the switch to being Mrs. Claus and have loved it ever since.” 

And since Christmas celebrations take many forms, it’s no surprise gender-bending is sometimes involved in the casting of Santa. Such is the case in Dover-Foxcroft’s 2024 production of “Miracle On 34th Street,” in which Jolly Old Saint Nick is portrayed by Sheri Kreider. When Kreider originally auditioned it was for any open role, but when she was offered Kris Kringle, she gladly accepted. 

“When I say Santa lines, especially about children and to the children, I actually feel good inside,” Kreider said. “I feel like I really am Santa. I am  hopeful I can give that kind of joy to everyone watching the show.” 

And while some might find the casting unorthodox, Kreider is rightly confident that a female can believably play a traditionally male role because “more important is being believable in the feelings and spirit of the holiday.”

While everyone with whom we spoke sincerely enjoyed slipping into that Santa suit, the role is not without its challenges. In addition to working long hours during the holidays (often daily through Christmas Eve), Santas must deal with some tough customers, i.e., kids. 

“Sometimes children ask very difficult questions, and coming up with a good answer can be challenging,” notes Markus Steele. “Not just the ‘how do you get to every house in the world in one night’ question, but things like ‘my dad/grandmother/whomever just passed away, can you bring them back on Christmas?’ Knowing that they believe so strongly that ‘Santa Claus’ is magic and can do amazing things, but also knowing that even if I were really Santa it wouldn’t be possible. That’s hard, and very humbling.” 

Joe Hall, who for years has played Santa at the Boothbay Lights celebration, explains, “I always [want] to meet and go above and beyond peoples’ expectations of what they could ever imagine. No matter how you feel as yourself, you have to switch gears when you put the costume on.”

The actors with whom we spoke had different relationships to the Christmas holiday itself, with some feeling more a secular than religious attachment, but all emphasized how much joy they derived from playing Santa or Mrs. Claus. 

Sometimes, there were even some touching moments of role reversal, including one particularly charming anecdote from Marshall. “There is [this child] Malachi, who brought ole Santa a gift four years ago. There was a great quiet sadness [about] him and his mom. He said, ‘Santa, you give gifts to everyone but ask for no gifts for yourself, so I wanted to give you these gloves (double knit alpaca), so your hands will be warm.’ He continues to visit me and comes with a gift every year… and recently I found out last year that the first time [he and his mom] came, Malachi had just lost his Dad in a tragic accident. Malachi had an understanding that giving would help him [in grieving].” 

Such was one of countless stories of gratitude and kindness from children and their families recounted by our aforementioned Santas, ample evidence that when it comes to playing Father Christmas, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.