Mall Santa Prepares for Annual Transformation

GRANTON, NS — A Nova Scotia man has begun the process of transforming himself into Santa Claus for his annual term as the jolly Holiday icon, starting in late November.
July 25th marks Christmas in July, a lesser-celebrated version of the December holiday, generally topped off with alcohol consumption, brief online retail sales, and discount decorations worn as tacky costume pieces. But for Ian Barker, 23, of Nova Scotia, this day means the beginning of his annual transformation into Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick.
Barker began portraying Santa Claus at the Granton Road Mall when he was just 18, having answered an ad for the position in the local paper. He was in between semesters at Harley Morenstein University in Montreal, and looking to make some extra money before returning in January.
“Back then, I’d consider myself amateur Santa,” Barker told us this past Friday, “My fake beard was clocked by a few eight-year-olds; it was embarrassing.” He explained how, as a teenager, he hadn’t yet perfected his look, but developed skills and techniques over time.
For his second stint at Santa, Barker decided to do his research. He took ideas and inspiration from reality competition shows, Face Off and RuPaul’s Drag Race, in order to create his illusion. He found that though prosthetic makeup and lace front beards were helpful, the look was expensive, and required a lot of prep work for each appearance.
Since then, Barker has gone for a more natural approach, which has led to his prep beginning in late July. “Instead of using a fat suit, I just take the few months before the gig to put on weight,” he explained. Barker drops as much physical activity as possible, and adds a glass of whole milk and seven to ten chocolate chip cookies to each meal.
Barker went on to explain, “For the wrinkles and sagging skin, I just let it get really damaged by stress and the elements, and don’t moisturise or exfoliate.” He also stops shaving his face, so that by the time he has to sit down in that big red chair, his beard is full and soft.
In fact, Barker only has to make two cosmetic changes by the time American Thanksgiving rolls around: making sure his hair and beard are coloured white, and popping in a pair of blue contact lenses. He’s found this much more time- and cost-effective than his previous techniques.
While he admits that his doctors have advised against such dramatic physiological changes year after year, Barker hopes to continue his career as Santa for as long as possible. He is currently working on a book to help others become the Saint Nicholas of their dreams.
Santa Claus will make his debut at the Granton Road Mall on Monday, November 20th 2017 at 4pm in the atrium across from Orange Julius.
