As the family photos with Santa Claus are brought out for display, chances are the jolly man with the white beard in the picture is Ken Sutton. Known as Santa Ken, he has been a Topeka Christmas tradition for generations of families. In fact, he's now listening to wishes from the grandchildren of kids who sat on his knee years ago.
This is Santa Ken's 57th season of bringing holiday cheer to children. He started at the age of 18, when his future sister-in-law asked him to do it for her sons.
"I was dating my wife, and her older sister asked me if I would do it," he explains. "I wanted to make a good impression, so I said yes. It was fun! I enjoyed it, and the boys weren't around me that much, so they had no idea who I was."
Santa Ken joined a group out of Colorado Springs in 1999 called Naturally Santa. The men who belong to this group had to have their own natural hair and beards. (No fake beards allowed!) All the Santas would gather several weekends each year, learning the tricks of being the best Santa possible.
The Santas were required to wear the same attire. Suits had to be custom-made and consisted of a coat, a hat, a big leather belt, knickers, striped socks, Birkenstock shoes, and black leather boots with fur tops. The Santas also wear Christmas print shirts with red suspenders, which is Santa Ken’s preferred look.
They were assigned to malls throughout the United States. Santa Ken’s first mall was in Jefferson Valley, New York. He was fortunate enough to work there for five years.
“The toughest part of the whole job was being away from my kids and grandkids for six weeks around the holidays,” he says. “We would miss Thanksgiving every year and we wouldn’t arrive back home until a couple days after Christmas.”
Today, Santa Ken is often recognized in public, especially in restaurants. In the colder months, he always tries to wear red when going out. Kids will come over to talk with him, and he always hands out little cards with his photo that say, "Santa loves you, but God loves you more."
Santa Ken's faith is essential to his work. Often, he will ask the children why we celebrate Christmas. "It's heartwarming that, probably ninety-nine percent of the time, I get the right answer. And then we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus," he says.
Of course, Santa Ken has fielded all sorts of questions in his almost six decades of work, including the big one: "Are you the real Santa?"
His answer depends on the child's age. "I'll say, well, what do you think? I try to make it a point not to lie to the kids. If it's an older child who answers no and a younger child is looking on, I'll say, 'Well, you know, Santa lives at the North Pole, and he makes toys. To be really honest with you, I'm one of his good helpers because he doesn't have time to visit. Just like at Christmas, that's why you have to be asleep when he comes because he doesn't have time to visit. He's got work to do."
Should an older child corner him on it, Santa Ken will remind them that they believed in Santa Claus for a long time, and now it's their job to make sure their little brother or sister keeps believing for as long as they did.
"That makes them feel important," he says.
Santa Ken has some advice for parents planning to bring their children for a photo. First, don't tell them not to be scared or that Santa won't hurt them. It just primes kids who might already be timid to be even more afraid. Just say it will be a great time, and Santa is excited to see them. Also, encourage them to figure out what they want to ask him to bring for Christmas.
Second, get to his public appearances early. This ensures he gets to spend quality time with each child in line before he has to leave for his next event.
"Santa is all about love and joy, and we need a lot more of that," Santa Ken says. "He's about giving. We need more giving. It's about believing in something, even though it may not be true, but it feels good to believe in it. I just feel like it's important in this world that we live in, with all the stuff that children are faced with, that we have a little brightness in their lives. I want them to believe as long as they can."
Then he adds, "I tell them when you quit believing in Santa Claus, that's when the socks and underwear start showing up."
"I tell them when you quit believing in Santa Claus, that's when the socks and underwear start showing up."
"I just feel like it's important in this world that we live in, with all the stuff that children are faced with, that we have a little brightness in their lives."