An Ellijay man who just wrapped his busiest season of the year puts his all into being Santa.
Von Redman, who’s a member of the Peachtree Santas, North Georgia Santas and the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas, sometimes works up to three engagements a day in December.
“Being on your best and putting out 100 percent can be very challenging. It’s not just the visit. It’s putting my heart and soul into all my visits,” said Redman, 72.
Several of Redman’s appearances are made in Gilmer and neighboring counties, but he also works an area extending from the Atlanta airport to Tennessee.
“I do libraries, schools, fire departments and police departments. I’m also doing a lot of commercial stuff like Lowe’s and Home Depot, as well as hotels and big restaurants in Atlanta,” said Redman, whose cheerful belly laugh brings a bit of Santa to everyday conversation.
Going pro
Prior to donning the big, red suit, stocking cap and other accessories expected of a professional Santa, Redman worked for 20 years as a maintenance and facilities supervisor. He was first employed by the Cobb County Sheriff’s Department, then Cobb’s fire department.
Redman said he helped build and design the security system at the original Cobb County Jail and later led Cobb Fire’s first maintenance department.
“We had 28 stations and many public service buildings,” he added. “It was quite an undertaking, and we had a lot of work to do.”
After retiring, Redman worked for an architecture firm inspecting buildings under construction. He’d started doing Santa at the Christmas holidays by the time a layoff put him out of work about 13 years back.
“I’d been doing it for friends and neighbors, people like that, but I had a designer beard at the time. I didn’t have full facial hair,” he said. “It was a little bit lighter load, and it was enjoyable. It still is, in fact.”
Early on, Redman did Santa appearances mostly for churches and youth homes. Many of those kids hadn’t had that type of experience before, he noted.
“A lot of churches have programs (with) foster children. I started doing foster homes and just fell in love with the program,” Redman added. “What the people do is unbelievable.”
The workload got bigger as Redman gained more experience as a pro Santa. Growing a real beard, which is now officially registered with the the National Beard Registry, was a must, he noted.
“I started understanding more and more about the Santa business. That’s what the Santa world is anymore, and it’s a huge business. A lot of people don’t know what all goes into it,” Redman said. “Being Santa is all about the love in your heart, not the clothes you wear. But, when you go out on a professional basis, you want to look professional and the best you can. It’s not fair, but they rate you on that.”
During the 2021 Christmas season, Redman appeared for Santa pictures at both the Light Up Ellijay festivities held here and the Night of Lights festivities in Jasper.
His holiday calendar usually starts getting full around August, but a few free dates are usually left for late bookings. Redman said he also sets aside a third of his appearances for nonprofits each year.
By Christmas week, he’s well in the thick of things.
“I did a job in Blue Ridge (recently), and, from Blue Ridge, I had to go to Alpharetta, where I did two in one day. I try to put them together if I can,” he said.
“When you have a two-hour drive like that, you’re dressed (as Santa) and you’ve got to stay on target the whole time. You can relax and have a Coca-Cola or whatever, but you’ve got to be fired up because you don’t know what kind of challenge it’s going to be.”
‘You name it, we did it’
Originally from Michigan, Redman had just finished high school when called to serve his country in Vietnam.
“I graduated in ’68. I was at home for maybe two weeks and got drafted. That was when the draft was hot and heavy. My number was number 2 for the state of Michigan,” he remembered.
Redman served with the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He worked as a transportation specialist.
“They flew me into Vietnam to the bases that had to be served, then we flew back out again. We rebuilt bases, fixed roads and loaded equipment. You name it, we did it,” he said. “Their objective was to try to keep the planes in the air as long as they could so we could fix up as much as we could and get them back on the ground again.”
Redman stayed with the Air Force after coming back to the states, later working as a driver for various military and government personnel.
“I helped travel with the president. President Johnson used the Air Force for that. Where he went, I was part of the crew that helped. I also helped with (the travel of) President Nixon,” he said. “I was at Delaware, and they would temporarily duty assign us to Andrews Air Force Base. We lived out of there on assignment.”
Year-round Santa
Redman and his wife, Sheryl, who’s also his Mrs. Claus, moved here from Pickens County six years ago. Mrs. Claus accompanies her hubby for some engagements, while others are solo outings, he said.
Like a band or other hired entertainers, professional Santas are part of the gig-based economy and talent booking companies can help arrange appearances, Redman noted.
“I work with a couple of Santa contractors who get the jobs, then call me up and say, ‘Can you do this?’” he said. “It’s sort of like the movie business because we’re considered entertainers, and we do entertain the people.”
The best part of it all is being able to bring joy to so many children each year, Redman confirmed.
“It’s the most beautiful thing, when you talk to these children and meet with their families. We love children, and we don’t have any at home anymore. They make me feel young, and I love the twinkle in their eyes. It’s a special time when you see that,” he said. “I tell them as much as I can about Santa and how he came about with St. Nicholas. I also try to explain to them what Christmas is all about.”
Redman visits mostly with kids, but he also makes time for adults. An ordained minister, he’s available for weddings.
A few years back, he was asked to attend a funeral as Santa. When a colleague from one of the groups Redman belongs to passed away, the man’s wife requested 10 of his fellow Santas serve as pallbearers.
“Each Santa read a piece of the eulogy,” Redman said. “Instead of organ music and stuff like that, they played Christmas music.”
Redman is proud to be featured in a new book that profiles 50 professional Santas from across the U.S. Published in 2020, We Are Santa: Portraits and Profiles, “celebrates the humanity of everyday Santas,” according to its Amazon listing.
“A lot of these Santas, like me, devote so much of of our lives to this. We do it 365 days a year. It’s just a way that I live by,” Redman said.