An interview with Santa’s helper: What it means to put on the red suit
With the holidays just around the corner, Santa Claus and his army of helpers have come to town.
One such helper is Al Mazuch, who has acted as Santa’s eyes and ears at Miracle on Main Street in Zelienople since 2018.
At the event, he dons Santa’s red suit and hat — but the white beard is all his. He said he decided to grow it out after the first time he took up the role in 2017 for his wife’s workplace.
“At the time, I didn’t have this,” Mazuch said while gesturing to his beard. “So I put on a fake one and I just go, ‘no.’ It just wasn’t me.”
When he heard Miracle on Main Street needed a new helper to participate in the parade and ask children what they want for Christmas, he reached out to get involved.
Now, coming up on his eighth year in the role, Mazuch said the biggest challenge is to keep the illusion of being the real Santa Claus for the younger children who come to see him.
For example, when asked about coming through chimneys, he explains to the children that Santa has a magical key that opens any door.
“It’s very, very surprising how sharp these kids are,” Mazuch said. “If they ask you a question, you better be able to answer it now. That’s really what’s changed. The kids just got so much smarter.”
But the moments that really stick in Mazuch’s mind are when children give up their wish to ask for family members to be in better health.
“One child told me he didn’t want anything for Christmas. All he wanted was for his mom to get better. And it was like, how do you answer that?” he said.
As for the gifts children ask for, Mazuch said his conversations with his boss, Santa, have shown a shift toward electronics and away from traditional toys.
“It’s computerized stuff now, that’s the big thing,” he said.
Mazuch said after relaying children’s wishes to the North Pole, he doesn’t like to just forget about them, either.
“From the first year I started, everyone brings a Christmas list in. So, I actually have a scrapbook from every year I was helping Santa Claus. They put all of their Christmas wishes in there,” he said.
At the end of the day, the reason he said he picked up and continues to pick up the suit is his love of the season, which has only grown over the last few years.
“I have loved Christmas ever since I was a kid. I absolutely love it: the lights, the trees, the music and the real reason for the season,” he said.
