Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 1978)
I 'I I 1 lot like Christmas Ryleanne Lally Bf The Print ■hopping centers come alive Mpiped-in music, lights and Il tots with sparkles in their lies ¡and excitment in their Bees. Kook, there’s Santa,” Shouts one child and breaks ■way from Mom’s grip to join Rhe mob that has collected Bnd a small, meek, little Bow «Looking at this poor soul Jessed in out-of-style threads, ■d hair all over his face, one can only feel pity for him. But He him with an army of kids Bund him, the picture Binges: now one looks at him Bienvy. Kh, but to .be loved by so By kids ts worth more than W Bio discrimination Wd. The line for- want to do much.” His obvious dislike of the job, however, did not hinder his magical affect on the kids who came to see him. “The whole idea of Christ mas is so plastic,” said the unhappy Saint Nick. “I’m on strike right now and needed some extra money for the holidays.” “I enjoy the kids, but I hate the walking,” said Santa, who then turned to greet a line of beaming followers ranging in ages from 2 to22. Santa turns from the group and looks down the crowded sidewalk adorned with twinkling lights and bobbing heads. Following his gaze, one can see what disappoints this otherwise jolly symbol. Looking to the stars, one thinks about the historic event that happened so many years ago in a tiny town. The birth of a saviour, and the people who went to praise him. One won ders if they saw the same stars people see now. I doubt it, I’ve been staring at a tree. Santa loves winos, too nf the mission in- Blacks, whites, Bisplaced Indians jseBespite their dif- ■these men share a Ed: poverty, pke in line about not Ria good meal since ■giving. Beneath Hater is the ironic Bn’tajoke at all. Kt room of the m Mission is not ■oines, but these Were to enjoy the mables, reminiscent |n lining hall, seat Hgry men each. Ihis group sit down Bgoing through a Meet generous por- Birkey, dressing, ■lad and bread. The ■are is served up on Kes. The silverware is By Kelly Laughlin Of The Print |i$. biBjrmur words of Hhungrily chowing By don’t have to ■fly, it’s just that Kiting outside the. Etake their places at Bis heard among the fci Bellies full, they ■reanimated, more pey become more ■ore dinner, Davis Btight-lipped, even ^■peaks freely, ■people seem like ■only ones who care Be live or die,” said E holidays are the De of the year for Ed looking ahead to Rs.from the table, Jhrouc: the doors ■■the Harbor Light the weary men ■side in an unorderly ■n, past the steam Hjmanhole, back Hside Street. any prestigious position around. To be able to bring smiles to those little faces by just standing near is enough to make anyone drop his whole life and run. Or is it? •The old “Santa in the mall” is a familar sight. Adults saw it as kids, and now their kids are seeing it. The old tradition of sitting on Santa’s knee is as well known as . . . well . . .Christ mas trees. Every year at. this time, little fat men in red suits station themselves in public gathering places and await the arrival of their admirers. They do not have to wait very long. The mall Santa’s trademark is a little house set somewhere in the mall. It is not hard to find, because there is usually a large crowd of tots around it. Santa sits in that house by the hour and takes the requests of hundreds of children. Some think the job of part- time Santa would be enjoyable and fun. Some do not. One Santa, who refused to identify himself, says the job is great for people who “do not I Snesday, Dec. 6, 1978 Playing Santa in Portland’s Old Town is a far Cry from the day to day activities of a shop ping center or mall-type San ta. For Daniel Ray, the change is welcome. “I like bizarreness,” Ray, a student at Portland State University, said. He certainly gets his share of it in Old Town. There, in red suit and carefully powdered face, he encounters nearly every walk of life, from the down and outers, to street winos and struggling merchants. Ray ad mittedly came in with a fair amount of pretension and fear, but that was . dissolved im mediately. “These are very real people out here: Fear is one emotion you have to get rid of, if you wnat to relate to them. When I started,' I was scared to death. Now I try to get down to their level, and not be afraid to hug them and show them that San ta cares for them, too,” he said. Just as readily though, Ray finds the not-so-socialable types as well. Once, a tin can was tossed at the jolly old elf. He merely replied, “you had better not do that again, or you won’t get anything for Christ mas.” “Santa was at the scene of a potential mugging. A “ho-ho- ho” and “What would you like for Christmas?” .was all it took to send the mugger racing from the scene. There’s a certain amount of presense and respect that goes along with becoming this kind of celebrity, especially in Old Town. “As soon as you put on that suit you are no longer anonymous,” rather, the cen ter of attention. As a result, Ray has been cautious of the image he presents. To get ready, “I read Charles Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and ‘Miracle On 34th Street.’ I also keep a picture of Santa on my mirror when I make-up.” Though Ray realizes the stereotype everyone sees of Santa Claus, he doesn’t try to “ho-ho” it up too much. In a sense, this Santa wants to rid children of the notion that San ta is a real individual. “Parents seem to want me to pervade the “Ho-ho” image of, Santa, but 1 feel that children have more honesty needs than adults. I try,to make them un derstand that though I am real, Santa is just a concept. One kid summed it up beautifully when' he said, “I know Santa Claus isn’t real, but I think you’re real nice.’ ” Ray said. Apart from his own image of Santa, “a willingness to care, listen, and level with children, are the most important creden tials for an aspiring Saint Nicholas,” he said. “I try to let them know that I’m genuinely interested in them. In the beginning of the conversation, when they sit on my lap, I ask them questions like ‘how was your day?’ Most children are most interested in what has happened to them in the last few hours.” Some Santas may grow con cerned about children “putting him on the spot” by asking for too many presents, or presents of outlandish quality. “Once I had a two-year-old ask me for a pony, and another wanted a knife for Christmas,” Ray said'. The way Ray handles these children is “the famous side step,” he said. For a lengthy list of Christmas gifts, he has them pick one or two from five, 10 or 20 items. Most importantly, Ray said, “I take a look at the parents first to insure I make certain promises they can keep.” The Old Town Santa was surprised when he found the large number of children that didn’t know what they wanted for Christmas. “The kids aren’t as materialistic as I expected,” he said. “I’d say, of the 50 kids I’ve talked to so far, about two- thirds just wanted to talk. When I asked them what they wanted, I got comments ranging from ‘I don’t know,’ to T just think I’ll wait and see.’ ” With all the diversity, one could guess that this Santa feels the hours he has worked by the end of the day, but he goes home with a twinkle in his eye as bright as when he begins his shift. “I think we all should celebrate ourselves more, we don’t really have to have an excuse for it,” he said. * * ** SUPER SAVER * j Wholesale Prices for i * * Clackamas Community College Large distributors of tires and related products. All Quality Tires — ^Goodrich T/A Weather Alert: The winter tire season has’ arrived. Come on down for your winter tires. 595 E. First St. Gladstone, Ore. 97207 tire dealers warehouse (503)656-1696 or 656-1671 Page 7
