The First Santa Convention in Branson, Missouri

Branson, Missouri is known as the home of the Grand Ole Opry, but now it is also home to the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas' International Convention. For the first time ever, this group of professional Santas got together in the off-season to discuss professional ethics, trade secrets, and most of all, how to make children's Santa experiences better.

From July 6-9 of this year, almost 300 Santas (and their Mrs. Clauses) met in Branson, Missouri's Radisson Hotel. Despite the summer heat, the hotel was decorated to resemble the North Pole and informal event listings specified casual dress to mean "no Santa suits."

As funny as a Santa Convention in the middle of summer might seem, these men take their Christmas duties seriously. To even be considered for membership in the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, a potential Santa must have a real beard. This indicates a year-round Santa mentality and a serious commitment to a life as a professional Santa. Members of the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas even have Josten's rings with the initials "S.C." embossed on the red stone.

Membership in the coolest Santa club around isn't just about rings and hotel parties, though. Workshops at this year's Santa Convention involved every aspect of the trade. Just the list of classes at the convention gives you some idea of how rigorous the Santa business must be. "Care and Feeding of Santa's Hair and Beard" and "Advanced Wardrobe and Accessories" indicate maintaining the look is more complicated than just letting your facial hair grow willy-nilly.

Other classes at the Santa Convention dealt with business aspects of professional Santa-ism, including "Commercials and Modeling" and "Face Painting and Balloon Art for Extra Income." After all, there's fame as well as money to be had as a professional Santa. Attendee Sid Fletcher plays Santa at the Mall of America, a high-profile Santa gig to be sure.

Perhaps the most interesting classes offered at this year's Santa Convention were the ones that dealt with children's issues. Millions of children's lives are touched every year by Santas, and classes such as "Santa Ethics" and "Helping Children with Post Traumatic Stress" ensure that the Santas children encounter in malls and at Christmas parties are equipped to deal with all sorts of issues. After all, how is Santa supposed to answer questions like: "I'm really good all year long, so why does Santa bring my neighbors more toys than he brings for me?"

The Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas began in 1994 as ten men cast as Santas in a German commercial decided to meet for lunch once a year to discuss the trade. More and more Santas joined the original members every year, until over 800 Santas from around the world became part of the group. Because of how well they were received, the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas plans to hold their next convention in Branson, also.