When the Deaf Santa Claus documentary follows Charles Graves to Santa school, viewers often ask afterward: wait, is that a real thing?
It is. Santa schools have operated in the United States for nearly 90 years, and they’re more rigorous than the name suggests. Here’s a short overview of what they are and what they teach.
The oldest: Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School
The Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Midland, Michigan, has operated continuously since 1937. It’s the oldest continuously operating Santa school in the world. Howard, a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa during the 1940s and 50s, founded the school to professionalize the trade and pass on best practices to the next generation of working Santas.
The school still operates a multi-day intensive program each fall, drawing students from across the United States and abroad. Alumni include some of the most-recognized working Santas in the country.
Other schools and training programs
Several other Santa training programs operate today, with varying durations, formats, and emphasis:
- International University of Santa Claus (multiple locations)
- The Santa Academy (multi-day online and in-person options)
- Northern Lights Santa Academy in Atlanta
- Professional Santa Claus School in Denver
Most run as multi-day intensives in the fall — September through November — timed so that graduates are ready to work the December rush.
What gets taught
The curriculum at a typical Santa school covers far more than how to say “Ho ho ho.”
Costume and grooming: Beard care for natural-bearded Santas; wig and beard application for designed-beard Santas; suit selection, fitting, and maintenance; boot care; the difference between $200 suits and $2,000 suits, and when each makes sense.
Child interaction: How to handle a frightened toddler. How to manage a child who asks for something a parent has signaled is off the list. How to respond when a child shares something heavy — a parent’s deployment, an illness in the family, a recent loss. (Real Santas regularly become emotional confidants in ways most people don’t realize.)
Photography and posing: How to hold a child for a flattering photo that the family will actually want. How to manage line flow. How to keep facial expression genuine across an 8-hour shift.
Santa history and lore: The St. Nicholas tradition. Regional variants. Reindeer mythology. Standard Santa canon (because children will quiz you on the names of reindeer, the colors of elves, the layout of the workshop, and woe to the Santa who fumbles).
Business basics: How to price yourself. Contracts. Liability insurance. Background-check compliance. Marketing. Booking systems.
Legal and safety: Photo consent. Child safety best practices. What to do if you suspect a child is being abused (real situations Santas encounter and must be prepared for).
What’s usually not taught
This is the part the foundation cares about most. Most Santa schools spend zero or near-zero time on:
- Sign language basics, even ten survival signs
- Deaf awareness or Deaf cultural orientation
- How to work with an interpreter
- How to pace visits differently for Deaf children
- Awareness of sensory needs more broadly (autism, ADHD, anxiety)
Some schools have started adding inclusion modules. The foundation is part of pushing this further — encouraging Santa schools to add even a half-day session on basic ASL signs and Deaf cultural awareness to their core curriculum, the way they already cover other essentials.
The cost of becoming a professional Santa
For a Deaf person or anyone else considering pursuing Santa work professionally, the up-front investment is meaningful:
- Santa school tuition: $500-$1,500 for a multi-day program
- Professional suit: $500-$2,500 depending on quality
- Boots, belt, accessories: $200-$500
- Beard care or designed beard: $100-$500 annually
- Background check, liability insurance, business setup: $300-$800 annually
- Marketing, headshots, website: $500-$2,000 to start
Add interpreter coordination for a Deaf Santa, and the financial gap to entry widens further. Part of what the foundation does is help cover these costs for Deaf people pursuing the work — because the barrier shouldn’t be the suit.
Why this matters
Santa Claus is one of the few cultural roles that’s genuinely lifelong — many Santas work into their 70s and 80s, building relationships with families that span generations. It’s a profession, not a costume, and the people who do it well have invested real money, time, and craft into the work.
Making that profession accessible to Deaf people is part of how more Deaf children grow up seeing a Santa who looks and signs like them. Which is, ultimately, what all the schooling is for.
