Professional Santa reveals the biggest no-no-nos of the job

Hello!

Matt, a professional Santa who teaches at Ministry of Fun UK — a school which has been running for 25 years — can’t remember meeting Father Christmas as a child. His own experience, he notes, “wasn’t horrific” but “nor was it brilliant and memorable” either.

​And it’s one small part of the reason he decided to train to become a Santa himself. Now he teaches others, sharing with UNILAD the biggest no-nos of stepping into the boots of the big-bearded Saint Nick.

Why a “bad Santa” stands out

Matt explained that you often see a “bad Santa” in places such as schools and shopping centres, where the attitude seems to be “well, anyone can put on the suit”.

“But you can’t,” he continued. “A bad Father Christmas is a bloke in a red suit with a crap beard who says, ‘Hello, what’s your name? What do you want for Christmas?’ Whereas a good Father Christmas performer doesn’t ask any of those questions — because he already knows the answers. He saw that child last year, visited them on Christmas Eve, and may have received their letter, so he’ll know exactly what’s on it.”

Core rules every trainee must follow

But what other red flags does Matt watch for when training the next generation of Father Christmases?

At Santa school, he says, there are fewer things trainees must do and more “certainly things that we say not to do” — such as failing to recognise a child or not knowing who they are.

​“Because of course, we’ve seen them previous years,” Matt added.

One key rule is never to promise anything. “We have no idea what presents their parents, carers or families will end up getting for that child, so you can’t promise anything.”

Santas must also avoid saying or doing anything that might break the child’s belief that they are the real Father Christmas. The encounter should feel “safe, warm and magical” — and the performer must “know about the toys”.

Staying up to date with 2026’s most-wanted gifts

Every season, Santas receive “the lowdown” on the ten most popular toys and what’s new. In 2026, for example, Barbie is back in a big way, with a wide range of merchandise. A professional Father Christmas needs to know this inside out, because “he and the elves are busy preparing and making them in the workshop”.

“We make sure Father Christmas doesn’t say, ‘What’s that?’ when a child asks for something,” Matt explained. “All sorts of details like that are integral to ensuring the child believes.”

Not everyone makes the cut

Despite the clear guidelines, a surprising number of trainees don’t qualify. Matt revealed that more than 500 people haven’t made it as professional Santas over the years.

“It’s really not for everyone,” he warned. “We’ve met some wonderful performers and actors who just don’t quite take to the role. We’ve even had well-known TV presenters and celebrities come down because it sounds interesting. They sometimes think, ‘Oh, this’ll be easy’ — and then they realise, ‘Actually, it’s really difficult’.”

Children, he notes, are a wonderful but challenging audience: “You don’t get away with much, so you’ve got to be really on your guard.”

Adding to the pressure, there is usually no script. The typical four-, five- or six-minute encounter can head in any direction, and not everyone can handle that unpredictability.

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What Santa school actually teaches

So what do successful trainees learn? They are given practical “tools” and techniques to discover a child’s name, age and whether they’ve written a letter — all while giving the impression that Santa already knows.

“Ask them to remind you whether they do or don’t have a chimney, or whether we’re going to be at the same house this year,” Matt said.

Ultimately, the goal is simple: “Just tools to ensure that the meeting with a child is believable — that he’s a real, living, breathing, magical being.”

“A bad Father Christmas just says, ‘Hello. What’s your name? What do you want for Christmas?’ and it feels formulaic and empty. A good performer leaves the child with no doubt that they’ve been in the presence of the real man — who does exist, by the way.”

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