FEATURES
He's Santa, all year long!
Laura Nation-Atchison
12-17-2005
The shirt says it all.
In bold white letters against a bright red background, it reads, "Yes, I am him."
And he is, 365 days a year.
This Santa Claus takes his job seriously.
Even when it’s not Christmas time, he usually dons a red shirt and green pants just to keep the Santa image going.
The beard is his, all year long, and it’s required to be real as a bona fide member of the Amalgamated Order of Santa Claus.
He’s a graduate of the International University of Santa Claus and has a diploma to prove it.
The diploma shows he earned a bachelor’s degree in "Santa Clausology," dated Aug. 20, 2005.
Some may know him as Ty Johns, but most know he’s really the man in red from the North Pole.
The Santa thing got started about 24 years ago when nieces and nephews of his wife Becky needed a Santa.
Naturally, Mrs. Johns has taken on the role of Mrs. Claus when the two are out on Santa jobs, and both have professionally made outfits they wear.
"But they aren’t costumes, they’re our suits," Santa explains.
There’s a phone line dedicated to Santa’s Workshop all year long, and business cards bearing the number and other information are handed out throughout the year.
Santa also puts the telephone number for his sleigh on his business cards, taking calls on the cell phone he keeps with him.
People start calling for Santa bookings around July every year, and from Thanksgiving through Christmas, Santa stays really busy listening to everyone’s Christmas list and offering a great big dose of good cheer.
"I just enjoy the children and it’s a lot of fun," Santa said. "But there are times it can break your heart."
Santa gets letters from children who know about him, addressed to his "summer workshop."
He has his share of stories to tell about people-not just children-who see him out and about through the year.
One elderly lady approached him at a Birmingham restaurant to tell him he looked just like the Santa she knew as a little girl.
The lady insisted on having his picture taken with Santa, even sitting on his lap for the picture.
It was just the Santa thing to do to comply, he explains.
A little girl about 5 or 6-years-old walked up to him in another restaurant, curious to know if he was indeed Santa Claus.
"She walked up and just looked at me, her eyes got real big and she said, ‘Are you?’"
Santa said. "And I said, ‘Who do you think I am?’"
"Then, she motioned for me to lean down to listen to her, and she pulled on my beard and then punched me in the stomach," Santa said. "She just wanted to make sure the beard was real and the stomach, too."
Everything about his Santa is real, he assures.
Some children will inevitably be a little afraid of Santa.
"Usually, they’re from about 6-months-old to about 2 and a half," Santa said. "I try hard to accommodate them, and try to see if I can keep them from being afraid."
If the children are really scared of Santa, he said he hopes that the parents recognize it and just let the child wait for another year to meet Santa.
Children in his Bemiston neighborhood have become accustomed to Santa living down the street and often stop by to have a word with the elf.
And sometimes, just for fun, Santa puts on his dress up duds and just drives around to give children a thrill.
His fire engine red pick up truck has a bumper sticker that says "Caution: Santa may be on board," and on the doors there are signs saying "North Pole."
Before becoming Santa, he had a 35-year career as the engineering supervisor for Alabama Public television. After an accident working on the transmitter on top of Cheaha Mountain that left him with a broken knee and leg and a crushed foot, he retired.
But Santa decided to finish the bachelor’s degree he had started back in 1963, and has graduated from Jacksonville State University with a major in criminal justice.
Now, he says, he’s planning to head to law school to become an advocate for people who are disabled.
Santa is a county constable, working at the pleasure of the county court system, and has full arrest powers.
He’s always had a weakness for Harleys, and until his accident, was an active rider. Now he says he might have a three-wheel version made so he and his wife can get back on the road.
From now until Christmas, Santa will have little time to himself, traveling to this party and that party making Christmas a little bit brighter and a lot more fun for hundreds of people.
It’s something he’ll continue to do, he says, just for the enjoyment of it.
"I just enjoy the children and it’s a lot of fun," Santa said. "But there are times it can break your heart, too."
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About Laura Atchison
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Laura Nation-Atchison is The Daily Home features editor.
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Contact Laura Atchison
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