Yes, its Saturday night.  Christmas Eve.  Mrs. Santa is already in bed, and the kids are not tucked in their beds.  Of course, kids are somewhat of a misnomer, since they are both technically adults now.  They'll undoubtedly still be up long after I finally give up the ghost in a little while.

I determined the other day that I would make a blog entry once a week... specifically on Saturday night, when I didn't have anything else scheduled.  You see, Monday is Toastmasters.  Tuesday is free, but something invariably comes up.  Wednesday, there is sometimes a meeting with a group down at the local sports bar/pizza place.  Thursday is another Toastmasters event.  Friday... who wants to plan on anything Friday?  Saturday it is.

Christmas Eve...  I know that the majority of Santa's are either making last minute performances, or at home resting after a busy season.  Not I... not this year.  But I do intend to venture into this business moving forward, since I've been feeling the calling for the last couple of years.  After my brief appearance a couple of weeks ago, I decided to move forward.

Step one will be speaking with some of the local Santas... after they've had a break.  Certainly no need to pester them immediately.  Mid January is about as soon as I want to begin this process.  Step two will be getting some basic training materials...  Schools4Santas produces a DVD set that will be a good substitute for attending a full fledged Santa school, which isn't in the cards right now.  When their store reopens in February, I plan to place my order.  Between these two steps, I should be able to find out exactly what I am getting myself into.

Steps three, four, etc. will involve getting the Santa Suit, professional photos, and making together necessary business contacts.  Yes, I will take any advice my local contemporaries will provide, but I also hope to leverage contacts at work and among the Toastmaster groups.  All a learning experience.  I don't expect to become an instantly successful Santa, with 100+ hours of work a year.  For one thing, I still have a day job, and will only be able to do weekend and some evening gigs.  But I do hope to get a start, and at least defray the cost of the suit, training, and so forth.

It's 10:30, and time for Santa Mikee to go to bed.  Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!