He really does look like the real thing, this jolly man sitting as Santa Claus and hearing all the wishes that would make a child’s dreams come true.
Sometimes, though, Santa must say no.
“There are difficult moments, for sure,” said Mike Slenski, a local gentleman who portrays St. Nicholas throughout the Upper Ohio Valley as well as for Oglebay’s holiday season. “Sometimes there are children who confuse what powers Santa is supposed to have.
“It can be very difficult when children ask me to bring back their Nanas, or a parent, or a friend of his or her family’s, and I’m not sure how others handle those requests but it was something that was covered when I attended the Santa University. Some kids do ask for the impossible, and that’s OK,” Slenski said. “When a young boy asked me to bring back his Nana, I had to explain to him that his Nana is very happy to be where she is today and that she expects him to be a very good boy for his parents.”
Slenski reports this year’s most popular requests include Barbie’s Dream House, Furbys, and drone orbs, but there have been occasions when children have whispered wishes for their parents to reconcile, too.
“In that position as Santa Claus, you’re going to be asked these questions, but Santa does not have unlimited power. Somebody else – the Great Creator – has the power for that, and that’s what I explain to them,” Slenski said. “And I’ve met children who have told me, ‘All I want for Christmas is my Dad and Mom to be back together again.’ I have to say to them that their mother and father love them, and Santa loves them, too.
“I tell them that Santa is the toy specialist, and that’s my role,” he said. “I tell them about the spirit of Christmas and that it’s a time for giving and sharing. And I tell them it’s important for us to share our talents with each other and that it’s not all about the gifts under the tree. It’s about the true spirit of Christmas.”
Real Beard, Real Santa?
There are days when he leaves his East Ohio home by 8 a.m. and doesn’t return until later in the evening, and he’s exhausted by the end of his days this time of year.
Not only does Slenski portray Kriss Kringle at Oglebay’s Wilson Lodge and Good Zoo, but he’s hired for a number of private and public party appearances starting before Thanksgiving and continuing through December. On December 23rd, in fact, he will be the guest of honor during the “Last Chance with Santa” event at Generations Restaurant and Pub in Wheeling.
Santa will welcome children for two hours beginning at 8:30 a.m., photos will be free of charge, and a breakfast buffet will be free for kids between 3-8 and $9.95 for adults.
“I really do love what I do as Santa Claus, and there are a lot of different stories I could tell about how funny and joyful the children are. Their excitement is what makes me smile the most, and it’s not about the presents. It’s about the magic,” Slenski said. “But the most difficult wish I’ve ever been asked happened just a couple of years ago when my 53-year-old niece was in hospice care after trying everything breast cancer treatment there is.
“She said to me, ‘You’re Santa, aren’t you? You have magical powers, right? Can you save me?’,” he recalled. “At first, I was speechless, but then I told her my powers were limited to loving her. She passed soon after that, and I’m looking forward to seeing her again.”
Children do not pull on Slenski’s real white beard as often as older ladies do, and that’s OK with him because he just “Ho Ho Ho’s” every time.
“One of the things I love most about what I get to do is bring comfort and joy to so many others, and if you study the history of Santa Claus, that’s exactly what he is supposed to do for others. It’s about giving hope to the world so others might decide to share their love with others,” Slenski said. “It’s about being a light for others so they can recapture the moments they love to look back at.
“But the children, they are not shy when they are telling me what they want Santa to bring them, and there are times when I’ve had to tell them that I wouldn’t be bringing them a Corvette and things like that,” he said. “But I never do get tired of portraying Santa Claus because, no matter what a child asked for, it’s still Christmas so it’s still a magical time of year.”
