None of the nonsense matters for most young children this time of year.
Flying deer? Down through the chimney? The North Pole? Toy-making elves? The whole world in one night?
It all makes as much sense to a child who wants an iPhone today as it did 45 years ago to a child who asked for an Evel Knievel action figure and Stunt Cycle. But then the time arrives when age allows someone to solve the Christmas mysteries.
And if that is the case when “Santa” Mike Slenski encounters such a child he, well, does his best to extend the magic for just a bit longer.
“One thing I do try to do when I have a child who is 10 or 11 years old is to keep them believing in Santa for at least one more year. That’s always my goal because this time of year with the miracle of Santa in it is a really special thing,” Slenski explained on 100.1 FM WLYV. “Once they are past that, though, my conversations with them involve the true spirit of Christmas and how it all got started in the first place.
“There is so much more to the Christmas season than Santa Claus, of course, but for the young children, it’s about being on the Nice list and not the Naughty list,” he said. “The adults I encounter like to remember those years, too, and some of them have the sweetest stories to tell. It’s all part of why I am honored to portray Santa as often as I do. It’s really a blessing.”
Slenski once again plays Santa for Oglebay, and he illuminated the city of Wheeling’s Christmas tree at Market Plaza and the Jolly One in the Main Street Bank Fantasy in Lights Parade, too. While there are others throughout the Upper Ohio Valley, Slenski is recognized as Santa all year long.
“The past eight years have been very interesting because this year I have had people come up to me and refer to me as the Ohio Valley’s Santa, and I may be,” Slenski said. “I know I am pretty authentic. My cheeks are really rosy, and my beard and mustache are real. A lot of Santas out there have to bleach their beards or they have to wear a fake beard.
“Now, I do wear glasses, but at this time of year I wear a pair that looks like they would be Santa’s,” he explained. “I just really enjoy doing it, and I am the happiest guy in the world during November and December, but I get to do things these days all year long. It’s joyful for me, and I just think I was just meant to be Santa because, at 73 years old, I feel I can relate to people of all ages.”
A Calling
Along with a crowded calendar of public appearances, “Santa” Mike also will visit children and their parents at their homes if contacted early enough, and he also surprises people with unscheduled stops and has been interviewed on The River Network.
Each year, in fact, Slenski finds himself busier than the previous holiday season and that’s just fine with him.
“I just have so much fun with people, and I have just as much fun with parents as I do with their children,” Slenski said. “This year I seem to have more older ladies tugging on my beard than I do children, and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because they still want to believe like they did when they were a child.
“I think you are answering a calling when you decide to portray Santa, and my work history in the broadcast industry has helped a lot because I know a lot of people,” he said. “And I love to make a visit with Santa Claus an exciting experience no matter the age of the people I am meeting.”
And Slenski feels he’s acquired some new skills during his years of portraying Kriss Kringle.
“This year I seem to have developed the uncanny ability to guess a child’s age, and I don’t recall being very good at that over the years. This year, though, I’d say I’ve been correct at least 85 percent of the time,” Slenski reported. “I believe I can tell by the look in their eyes and how they look at me.
“But again, I have been doing this for nearly a decade, so I guess I am just getting better at recognizing certain things that give their age away to me,” he said with a smile. “Once we get into the conversation about what they hope to get that Christmas, well, that always gives them away.”
