Why professional Santas wear white gloves as surprising rules of the job are exposed

When we think of the festive period, one iconic person immediately springs to mind - the legendary figure who makes Christmas magical for children everywhere.

Of course, we're talking about Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, whichever name you choose to call him.

Personally, my childhood was made up of enchanting trips to a grotto to tell the big man exactly what I was hoping to find under the tree that year, which is an experience familiar to millions of children around the world.

But have you ever wondered who is actually behind the iconic red suit and long white beard, making the magic happen?

Tyla spoke with professional Santa Claus, Louis Taylor, 56, about what it's really like to take on a role that means so much to families, as well as the important rules he always makes sure to follow.

Tyla spoke exclusively with professional Santa Claus, Louis Taylor (Supplied)

The entertainer from Caldicot, South Wales, has been stepping into the shoes of Father Christmas for six years now, after inheriting his late uncle's Santa costume, who bought it as a bit of fun for a party.

Since then, he switched to his own custom-made ensemble and has built up a portfolio of shopping centre appearances, home visits and video calls throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

When he's not in the suit, Louis works as a residential support worker and also has experience in the entertainment industry working as a Butlins Redcoat.

Spilling all of his festive secrets, he's now revealed the most important rules to follow to make sure every little one gets a wonderful experience, including the mysterious reason why Santa is always wearing white gloves.

A special Santa cologne

Louis explained how it's all in the details - more importantly, the scent, as it's not enough to just look like Santa Claus, you need to smell like him too.

I'll be honest, Father Christmas' scent is something I'd never thought about as a child, but I know I didn't exactly picture him smelling of Lynx Africa.

Taking this into consideration, Louis goes as far as importing a special Santa cologne into the UK that you can't actually buy in the shops.

He told Tyla: "One of the things I purchased that does get a lot of comments is from a company in America that sell Santa scents, which is nice perfumes for Father Christmas.

"I didn't want to smell like a Febreze air freshener. You know, or a magic tree car freshener. So I saw this company and we got some sent over, the amount of comments I get because of the way I smell of gingerbread or Santa's cookies."

He added: "And you can't buy them in the shops. So it's not like a boy would go: 'Oh, my dad uses that aftershave'. I like to make sure it's not available in the shops."

The residential support worker has been stepping into Santa's shoes for six years (Supplied)

Not promising every present

Secondly, to avoid a meltdown on Christmas day, a big no-no is promising the kids everything on their list.

Not only would that get you an annoyed side eye from mum and dad, but it would also mean the child might be left disappointed on the big day when everything they wanted isn't sitting under the tree.

Louis explained that he tells the kids: "I can't promise, but I can see what I can do. One thing I can promise, though, is that I'll make sure to bring you some magical surprises, Christmas surprises."

He added: "Because they don’t know what they’re going to get, so I always do that."

Always remain in character

While this one might seem obvious, it's actually not as easy as you might think.

Louis stressed how it's so important to remain in character at all times when you're on the job, even when you're talking to parents or nipping out to the toilet.

The worst thing would be for a kid to see Santa swearing down the phone at someone outside the grotto.

Louis said: "Always remain in character. It's really important not to come out of character, I always keep the voice on until I'm finished and my beard's off and I'm out of the way and back to myself."

He added: "When I am wearing the suit I always make sure, even if it was just you and I in a room, I'd still talk to you as if I was Father Christmas because I wouldn't want to slip out of character just in case someone's there and comes into the room, you never know."

He revealed the rules you need to follow to be a stellar Santa Claus (Supplied)

Make sure to wear white gloves

Finally, as mentioned earlier, Louis revealed why professional Santas are always wearing white gloves.

Not only do they complete the classic, clean look of the costume but they're also a good safety measure.

He explained: "It's important for safety you wear white gloves so they can see your hands. It also looks smarter.

"I look after my hands in terms of my nails but my hands are looking old with arthritis in them a bit, which I suppose looks okay for Santa, but when you put white gloves on it fits in with the nice clean look.

"Keep your hands on view in photos so if you've got your arm around a child put your hands on their shoulder or on their arm so they can always see where your hands are. I always make sure my hands are in front so they can obviously see the hands."

The white glove rule also works if your hands don't look quite as old as Santa's should look, which could blow your cover.

So there you have it, if you're hoping for a career change any time soon, you've now got a rough guide to being a pro Santa, which let's be honest sounds like the most fun job ever.

If you want to book Louis for an event, you can visit his Facebook page here.