Costumes! Costumes! Costumes!

For the Newbie Santa….A Few Last Minute Tips…

Your suit is ready. Your belt, boot tops, glasses and gloves are lined up, and show time is very soon.

Some children love to sit on Santa’s lap and chatter about how good they’ve been and what they want for Christmas.  Then there are those children, who love Santa from across the room or at a distance, but want nothing to do with him at a close up range. 

Don’t take it personally.  It’s not you.  It’s your persona.

And what to do about those little guys who want to tug on your beard to see if it’s real or those looking for clues as to who you really are.  From my experience, I never really let them get an angle on me where they could try to tug a beard, or look for any telltales signs that might provide them with a clue that you are not really Santa.  I sit them on my lap facing a little bit away from me, and a little more towards the audience (family, parents, whatever).  They then have to turn their face a little to the rear to see me, but their body is angled away from me so as to prevent those grabs and deeper glances. If you are a newbie, and concerned about the forthcoming interaction, your questions are probably less about the suit, and more about THE conversation.  And conversing with a 4 year old is always interesting to say the least. 

After plopping the child on my lap, I ask the usual questions such as ‘Were you a good little girl or boy?’, and ‘What would you like Santa to bring you?’ and offer a little advice on a few of their shortcomings (as provided by Mom or Dad). I might speak of my home at the North Pole or about Mrs. Santa or the Elves or the reindeer.  My needing to feed my reindeer or needing to see other children was always my exit line.

As to how to field the children’s questions?  Out of the mouths of babes come the least expected questions.  Either answer the question with a simple answer, or dazzle them with your intellect (G).  Basically brother, you’re on your own on this one.

How long should you hold the child?  Sometimes it seems like an eternity, and I’ve never been timed, but I would guess the average child is on my lap for only a couple of minutes.

Lastly, beware the Santa challenged child, though, for they might dampen thy suit.

Hmmm, maybe a backup pair of pants just in case.

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The Santa Beard and Wig’s The Thing! 

 Credit that to the William Shakespeare line, ‘the play’s the thing’.

Santa beards and wigs range from the department store Santa who might have spent several months in growing his own, to something you’d be ashamed to wear to an adult office Christmas party.

If it doesn’t fool a four year old, then it’s a bad Santa wig and beard set.  It may look fake to you, but it’s got to look good to a child. 

Discounting the quality of hair, Santa wigs are Santa wigs; and about the only difference in them might be bangs or no bangs, and perhaps in the hair styling itself.  We used a ‘marcel’ style creating a wavy look similar to the ladies hair styles of the 1920’s.  The beard, too, was ‘marceled’.

Most Santa sets have an accompanying beard and attached moustache; but sometimes the mustache is a separate piece that needs to be attached with spirit gum.  Lose the mustache though, and replacing it to match the beard might be a challenge. 

The wig (hair) might be affixed to a cloth head piece; or the hair might be embedded into a head piece made of netting.  The netting allows more air flow and might be more comfortable, but both work if they fit properly.

Beards (hair) are similar, but use only a chin strap (cloth or netting) to attach the hair to.  The cloth needs to be washable, without the possibility of shrinking.  Flannel or any shrinkable chin straps or wig bases would be a poor choice.

 Oh. The hair itself, you ask?  There are human hair wig & beard sets on the market, as well as yak hair (made from the hair of a yak) and as long as the fit is good they are usually a smart purchase.  The fit might be dependent upon where they were manufactured.  A Chinese large head size might be comparable to an American small head size.  And with the proliferation of defective Asian products these past few years, caveat emptor in general.

Synthetic sets (nylon, orlon, etc.) are available as well, and some are good and some are not so good.  It’s always best to try on the products, if that is an option. 

Then there are those wig and beard sets that look like cotton.  Some are mohair, and some are also synthetic.  One they become soiled, they are not washable nor cleanable.  These are the type that usually accompany a new Santa suit.  My primary objection to them is they won’t pass the ‘four year old’ test.

The ability to wash, clean, and restyle the wig on an ongoing, year-to-year basis is another consideration.  The hair might look good, but if the skull cap (base) loses its shape in a washing, you will be buying another set next year. 

Don’t…Don’t…Don’t…throw wigs and beards into a washing machine or dryer.  Never! Never! Never! 

The care and cleaning of a Santa beard and wig set will be a subject for another day.

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Buying a New Santa Costume?

It’s early, I know.  

But it might be time to start thinking about your new Santa costume.

The old one is getting frayed at the edges and it’s obviously seen way too many chimneys. Hmmm…is that a crumb? And what about that stain? Are they the remains of a cookie and spilled milk from a Christmas past?

All new Santa outfits should include a jacket, pants, and a hat; as well as a belt and boot tops (fake boots ala boot covers).  A wig and beard may or may not be included with the costume.

Santa costume shown above is avaliable at buycostumes.com.  See ad in right column

The cost on the suits will vary considerably due to the quality of the fabric and trimming.  If a wig and beard are included, that too, will be a factor.  Cloth suits are usually quite inexpensive, and of course the plush suits are quite pricey, comparatively speaking. The quality of the white trim around the collar, down the front and on the bottom of the sleeves will also help dictate the price. 

You’re on a budget, you say?  

As a lifetime professional costumer, I suggest that you buy the absolute best quality Santa beard and wig that you can afford, and the least priced suit; if money is an issue. 

A good Santa wig and beard will enhance a lesser quality suit; while a cheap wig and beard will substantially diminish the appearance of a good suit.  You can always upgrade the suit in a number of ways at a later time.

Children will be looking at the hair and beard, not the suit; if they are looking at all.

What are the attributes of a good Santa outfit and Santa beard and wig? Stay tuned, boys and girls. More to Follow!!

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What to look for in buying your new Santa Claus Wig and Beard set.  In a later video, we will discuss the cleaning, dressing, care and storage of your new set.  In the meantime..Ho!!..Ho!!..Ho!!

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Stage and Theatre Makeup!  For Christmas and All Year Round!

Stage makeup is more than lathering on a heavy layer of grease paint or pancake; or applying your mascara on heavier than usual, so that you aren’t washed out looking under the bright lights on stage.

Stage makeup might include making a ‘Rudolph’ nose out of nose putty or adding prosthetic ears for one of Santa’s elves, or anything else that might be ‘face-altering’ so as to achieve a specific look. 

Some brands of stage makeup are better than others.  Most stage makeup is Hypo-Allergenic (but check the label to be certain).  In our former life in the brick and mortar costume retail business, we sold ‘Mehron’ and ‘Ben Nye’ brands, along with a couple that no longer exist.

For a general makeup book, you might want to review ‘Stage Makeup’ by Richard Corson.  Hopefully you can find it at your local library, as it is a little pricey.

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Christmas is only 1 day away! 

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Learn some great tips on how to age yourself for a Santa Claus costume for a Christmas party in this free holiday video clip on holiday costume ideas. Expert: Matt Cail  Filmmaker: randy primm

EDITORS NOTE:  Bad Advice, Matt.  Liquid Latex has ammonia as one of it’s primary ingredients.  It should NEVER be used that close to the eyes, IMHO.  Even after the ammonia evaporates, oft times there is a stinging or burning sensation.

It is also a latex (rubber  like) based product which might cause an allergic reaction, or if it gets into the lashes or brows it might be difficult in removing.  It also has a sheen, so that it will require a tad of powder to reduce the sheen.

BTW, the Santa Wig and beard used in this video is about a step or two up from the bottom grade.  Poor sewing, too much shine, doesn’t look real…..a poor choice in a wig and beard set.

Duration : 0:1:20

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Q: “The largest Santa costume I have ever seen was sized XL. And even those XL’s are quite meagre sized, closer to a large than an extra large. Surely if Santa was a big fat man, they should make Santa costumes to fit big fat men. There’s nothing in this world that looks as stupid as a thin Santa.”

A. “There’s nothing in this world that looks as stupid as a thin Santa.That’s the fist time I have ever heard a skinny person discriminated against. Too funny!”

Editors note: In my past life, we had Santa costumes that fit men well over 500 lbs. and the costumes were listed as XXL or even XXXL. Presently, most suits are manufactured in Asia, and don’t seem to follow most sizing standards.  I would recommend checking with your nearest fulltime costume shop.  Here is a link that will assist you.  

http://www.costumers.org

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Learn how to add trousers a Santa Claus costume for a Christmas party in this free holiday video clip on holiday costume ideas. Expert: Matt Cail Contact: www.homepaintings.biz Bio: Matt Cail is an artist who works in oil, water color and acrylic paints, among others. Filmmaker: randy primm

Duration : 0:1:21

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Care and Cleaning of Your Santa Costume 

Because most Santa’s perspire heavily during a visit with the children, and sometimes even are the recipient of a wetting; it is recommended that the Santa outfit be cleaned on a regular basis; and in general, dry cleaning is probably the best way to do the cleaning.

BUT (notice that’s all caps) the white trim might become permanently yellowed after a dry cleaning or two or a few.  Also dry cleaning rarely removes the lipstick and rouge stains that we mentioned earlier.

If the trim is felt, then the best thing you can do is dry clean the entire outfit.  If the trim is a plush like material, it should be removed and then laundered to both clean it, and fluff it out to bring it back to its almost original appearance.

If possible, and you have a little time, it’s best to strip off the white trim and launder (as in Tide or Oxydol) it using a washer and dryer.  The first time you do this it is very time consuming because of the closeness of the stitches.  It’s much easier the second time IF you baste the white trim back on instead of machine sewing it back on.

Caveat: Washing the entire suit, including the white trims, will probably cause the red to bleed into the white, thus giving you a nice red suit with PINK trim.

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