Today we’d like to introduce you to Leon Isbell A/k/a Santa Izzy.
Hi Leon Isbell, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In 2018, I retired from a long career in computer science and digital marketing management. In my retirement, I got myself a part-time job at our local Lowe’s and really enjoyed meeting and helping people. It was very rewarding to see the excitement and pride when customers came back to tell me about the projects they were able to complete on their own. After about a year, I went on a month-long trip, and by the time I arrived home, I had grown quite a long beard. Upon my return to work, the store manager declared I needed to be the store’s Santa Claus for the upcoming Christmas season. I chuckled and thought, “no way was I going to do that”. My wife convinced me otherwise. She foresaw that I would be perfect for making children and adults smile, and that is exactly what has happened over these past seven years.
In preparation for my new persona, I did a deep dive into what it was going to take to be the kind of Santa Claus I envisioned for myself. I researched costuming, hair and beard care, online training from reputable Santa schools (Yes, there are real Santa schools!), insurance and bonding, tips for home visits, as well as any other information beneficial to a new Santa Claus.
At my very first appearance as Santa Claus at Lowe’s (which I was still somewhat hesitant to do), a little girl arrived to the store with her father. As they came through the big doors, she spotted me standing there surrounded by Christmas decorations. She immediately ran to me, jumped into my arms, wrapped her arms around my neck and proclaimed, “Santa! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” That single experience sealed the deal for me. I knew I wanted more children to experience the excitement of seeing Santa Claus in person as this little girl did.
Following all my research, and that experience at Lowe’s, I felt comfortable beginning my portrayal of Santa Claus for the Christmas season. I began with my appearances at our local Lowe’s on weekends and family friends invited me to surprise their children with a personal visit to their homes. I came to the realization that if I was going to portray Santa Claus during the Christmas seasons, I also needed to “be” Santa Claus 365 days of the year. So now I always dress in red and Christmas-themed attire. I have built a wardrobe appropriate for Santa Claus in the summer, including a variety of hats, so I’m always recognized as Santa Claus no matter the time of year. Despite my own personal attitude for a given day, I am always jolly and happy with whomever I may come in contact with, as Santa would be. It is my philosophy that happy people like to interact with happy people, and by far, most people enjoy an impromptu encounter with Santa Claus. I’m often told, “You made my day!”.
When the Covid pandemic hit in 2020, things changed drastically. Visits with Santa Claus became online visits, outdoor visits with social distancing and Santa Claus was behind a plexiglass wall whereby children had no physical access to him. Unfortunately, during this time the Santa Claus community lost a huge percentage of the older, more experienced Santa Clauses. This was due to their lack of knowledge of technology and/or their lack of desire to learn that technology. Additionally, being much older in age, they didn’t want to risk their own health with such an aggressive virus. This mass exodus resulted in a shortage of Santa Clauses to meet the needs of the country. With my decades-long knowledge and familiarity of ongoing technology, I was able to adjust quickly with the new style of Santa Claus visits. I interfaced with children and their families via Zoom and other platforms and helped families to schedule visits with social distancing in place. I coupled what I had learned previous to the pandemic with the newer standard, thereby being able to use it through and post pandemic.
Over these past several years, I engaged an agent for all my appearance bookings. Because of her vast reach and client list, I am able to appear at top-tier events, including corporate events, city events, HOAs, schools, holiday parties, home visits and the like. I still appear as Santa Claus for an ever-growing roster of charitable and non-profit agencies, churches and nursing homes, as well. I am certified and trained to be present and handle special needs children, one of my favorite appearances during the season.
I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the support of my loving wife of almost 50 years. She has been of endless encouragement and filled with ideas that have made this journey so much fun. She is also the prettiest Mrs. Claus ever!
I love what I do and being there for all children and adults of every age is the greatest gift!”
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Thankfully, I don’t really feel I’ve had to deal with much in the way of obstacles or challenges.
Obviously, working through the Covid pandemic was a challenge, in several ways. Also, my younger sister died during one of the Christmas seasons, so that was on my mind continually. I pushed through the sadness during appearances and allowed myself to grieve privately.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
From the time that I retired until now, I have always embraced the fact that I need to have something to do. At first it was my part-time job at Lowe’s, which became the catalyst for becoming a professional Santa Claus. As I mentioned earlier, I am Santa Claus 365 days of the year, and each time I leave the house I feel fulfilled as I bring joy to others. That’s my work. That’s what I do.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I find it important and beneficial to keep up with several facets of the Christmas season. I stay current on the Santa Claus movies. I also find it necessary to keep up with the updated nuances of “The Elf On The Shelf”, as well as current toys that the children will be requesting from Santa Claus.
I got caught off guard one year when several children. . .boys and girls. . .requested a ‘pink Stanley’. I assumed it was some type of stuffed animal. I had no idea it was a water bottle.
Pricing:
- Bookings and Pricing are handled by my amazing agent Nicole. Reach out to her! Nicole Hodges with Fun Time Entertainment – 972-333-4150 or funtimeentertainment.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://SantaIzzy.com
