My sister, Linda, gave me We Are Santa: Portraits & Profiles for St. Nicholas Day, and then she didn’t understand why I teared up reading Ron Cooper’s book. Cooper is the photographer who travelled around, taking pictures of men and a woman who professionally portray Santa or Mrs. Claus. Cooper acknowledges Erica Stull’s contribution as the writer of the book. But, it’s the photographs that are the heart of the book. Why did I tear up? All of the men were so sincere about their reasons to portray Santa. It comes down to children, children of all ages. And, I believe just as much as any of those Santas. Cooper says the “real” Santa appears in the book, and I spent part of the time examining the eyes of each one of those men. I’m convinced Santa’s eyes will have a special sparkle, eyes filled with kindness and love.

The book explains the origins of Santa in the story of St. Nicholas, the bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey. It covers the story of the Dutch bringing Sinter Klass to colonial America, and the 1823 appearance of Clement Clarke Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, followed by Thomas Nast’s cartoon of him in 1863. The vision we all have of Santa Claus actually comes from the Coca-Cola ads, beginning in 1931.

But, the heart of the book is actually the portraits of each Santa. The men were asked to come to the studio dressed in street clothes, and they were photographed. Those pictures appear in black-and-white. Then, they transformed into Santa, in a beautiful suit, usually quite expensive ones they chose to professionally portray Santa. There are also moving stories telling how each Santa took on the role. Susan Mesco, who portrays Mrs. Claus, actually started as an agent for several Santas, and then founded the Professional Santa Claus School in Colorado.

There’s information about various schools, along with rules and tips for portraying Santa. But, as I said, the heart of the book remains the heart of each of those people who portray Santa. We Are Santa is a beautiful book. You can just see the kindness in the eyes of those men. Even the endpapers and spine of the book are lovely, in red and white, with candy canes on the spine. There’s a letter from the North Pole to “Friends of Santa”. But any believer, of any age, will take one paragraph to heart while reading this lovely book. ” You might ask, What about the one real Santa? He’s asked us not to tell you which one he is, but if you look closely, you just might spot him in these pages.” I think I found him.

(All the author’s proceeds will be donated to the Children’s Hospital of Colorado.)

We Are Santa: Portraits and Profiles by Ron Cooper. Princeton Architectural Press, 2020. ISBN 9781616899653 (hardcover), 160p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The book was a gift.