Wayne Smith spent Saturday serving hamburgers and cheeseburgers with onion rings and fries, milk shakes, cake slices and probably a few cookies to a large group of guests with white bushy beards packing plenty of Ho, Ho, Ho’s.

“It’s like Christmas in January,” said Smith, a server at Sunliner Diner in Gulf Shores.

“They don’t make serving boring,” added Olivia Perue, his co-worker.

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Indeed, a group of 57 Santa and Mrs. Clauses from all over Alabama gathered inside the 50s-theme diner and brought with them plenty of Christmas spirt weeks after most people have packed away the holiday decorations and, in the case of the Alabama Gulf Coast, gotten ready for Mardi Gras.

But Santa season can continue into January and beyond, and it was on the minds of the Kris Kringles who gathered in Coastal Alabama for a weekend of relaxation, story-swapping, and a Polar Plunge into the icy-cold Gulf of Mexico. The two-day event also included raffles that raised money for local charities.

‘Turning heads’

The group is called the Cotton State Santas, an affiliate of the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas (IRBRS), the world’s largest organization of professional Santas, Mrs. Clauses and supporting spouses.

“We start turning heads when we walk in,” said Steve Rusk, 60, of Mt. Olive, who is known as “Santa Ruskie,” and is the president of the Cotton State Santas. He was referring to the visitors at Sunliner who snapped cell pictures of the Santas who commandeered the entire western side of the restaurant, as well as a group of women in their 20s from Birmingham who took pictures with the Santas after unexpectedly encountering the gathering while having lunch.

“We try to tell them why we are here,” Rusk said.

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Cotton State Santas

Founded about a decade ago, the Cotton State Santas boast an impressive membership of more than 200 Santa and Mrs. Clauses who are all based in Alabama.

“Alabama has one of the stronger groups out there,” said Jamie Dozier, 56, who is known as “Santa Jamie,” of Guin. “Most of the groups you follow on Facebook, they will have 15-20 who show up (to their meetings). We’ll have 40 to 70 show up at every event. We are a strong organization.”

The Gulf Shores gathering is the first of several that the Cotton State Santas will have during the year. They will reconvene for a meeting in March in Montgomery, followed with a gathering in May in Guntersville. Group members will also have training and ongoing education sessions on how to hone their Santa craft. They will also gather as a group in July and September before beginning their busy holiday seasons. Often, that commences with photography sessions in October. The bookings then begin in November and last through Christmas Eve.

‘You will be booked’

It can be a year-round dedication for some Santas. It also does not hurt that business is booming for Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic upended Santa appearances nationwide, demand skyrocketed in 2022 for the Jolly Old Elf.

“The first year of COVID, I did very little (business),” said Rusk. “I did my core customers, but I didn’t do much else. The second year, in 2021, it opened up a little more. In 2022, it went wide open.”

He added, “We are booking months out, years out. If you’re a good Santa, you will be booked.”

Rusk’s rate is between $150 to $200 an hour, which is about on par with what Santa Clauses are charging across the U.S. The rates are going up as costs rise. For instance, a good Santa suit can cost at least $1,200. More elaborate outfits cost $2,000 and up.

“People often don’t look at the (expenses that go into being a Santa),” said Rusk. “They only look at the 35 to 40 minutes when you’re visiting.”

One of those expenses is purchasing dye and preparing the iconic Santa beard.

“A lot of the guys use dye,” Rusk said. “I’m thankful that I don’t have to.”

Alan Patrick, 54, the River Region Santa known as “Santa Alan,” has a dark beard that requires routine maintenance that can further drive up costs.

He said it’s just a cost of doing business for a hobby he loves.

“I enjoy being Santa so much that I try to keep (the beard dyed) year-round,” said Patrick, a 30-plus-year employee with the Alabama Department of Transportation.

Other Santas are more fortunate like Eddie Lackey, 66, of Montevallo. Lackey’s beard is 100 percent pure snow-white and requires very little preparation.

The beard is also an award-winner, two years in a row. He was bestowed the only trophy – “Best Beard” – that was doled out by the Cotton State Santas during the Gulf Shores luncheon.

“All my friends and family see (the trophy) and pat me on the back,” said Lackey. “It’s all fun.”

What’s the secret behind Lackey’s vintage beard? “I wash it every day. Usually, on a day like today, I blow it dry. On other days, I’ll throw on a baseball cap and go.”

‘Amazing story’

Most of the Santas gathered in Gulf Shores have been Santas for a long time.

Fake beards are not allowed.

Rusk has been a “real bearded Santa” for the past nine years. Before that, he wore a “fake” beard and performed as Santa “on and off” for 35 years.

But few Santas anywhere can match the longevity of LaFain Freeman, known as “Santa LaFain,” and who is credited as the founder of the Cotton State Santas.

Freeman, 82, of Oxford, has been portraying Santa Claus for 65 years, or since he was 16 years old and assisting his father with Santa duties at a Sears, Roebuck & Co. store. His current duties include appearances at the Oxford Festival Lights at Choccolocco Park, along with appearances in the Birmingham area, South Alabama, and Georgia.

Freeman is a former Alabama State Trooper who was part of the investigation into the 1966 plane crash that killed governor’s candidate Ryan DeGraffenried in Fort Payne. That story and more are part of Freeman’s personal biography enshrined in the book, “With a Twinkle in His Eye,” released in October 2022. Freeman was signing copies of it at the Sunliner Diner.

“He has an amazing story,” Dozier said.

Dozier’s story is also filled with inspiration. He became a Santa Claus five years ago after first donning a Santa outfit purchased at a Hobby Lobby store so he could “do something special” for his sister’s children and grandchildren. His sister, Sheree Roberts, was dying from cancer.

“A few days later she called me to the house and told me how much she enjoyed it and how it was a precious memory,” Dozier recalled. “She passed away in April. May 1st was her birthday. I woke up (on her birthday) and told my wife that I wanted to be a professional Santa and bring that joy for the rest of my life.”

Dozier has company when he is performing as Santa Claus in Tuscaloosa, Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, Memphis, Tupelo, and elsewhere.

His wife, Becky, performs as Mrs. Claus. He has another sister, Janet Hensley, 55, of Jasper, who performs as the Grinch.

“I’m a nice Grinch,” she said. “They had Santa and Mrs. Claus. I wanted to do something. So, I asked about being the Grinch. They said ‘Yes,’ so I ordered me a suit. It has just boomed.”

She added, “I feel like I add to the whole group, being the Grinch.”

The Mrs. Clauses also add to the group. While most are wives or close relatives to the Santas, the Mrs. Clauses are drawing crowds as sought-after characters.

“When I go with him, I get all of the attention,” said Donna Waters, 62, of Prattville, who has portrayed Mrs. Claus for the past five years with her husband, Huston Waters, 78, who is the Santa Claus at The Shoppes at EastChase in Montgomery. “He gets very jealous. They are not used to seeing Mrs. Claus.”

Huston Waters, who has portrayed Santa since 2006, said he and his wife had “the greatest year” this past holiday season. The success was not as much financial as it was in the “wonderful atmosphere” of Santa Claus.

“The parents are getting out after COVID and it’s a wonderful atmosphere,” he said. “I had very few kids screaming this year. It was unusual. My photographer and I talked about it. The EastChase management talked about it. It’s been an unusual year for happiness and joy.”

‘Make people happy’

The good times for Santa also meant going bigger for this year’s Polar Plunge. In previous years, the Cotton State Santas gathered at home near Foley and jumped into a calm but chilly swimming poll.

This year, a half-dozen Santas and one Mrs. Claus – some dressed in candy cane-colored swimsuits – gathered on the beach. Despite a red warning flag and the rough surf, they rushed into the Gulf of Mexico.

All of the Santas came back ashore. Though they were cold, all were smiling and ready for an evening of more storytelling and camaraderie. One of the Santas was expected to play Christmas songs on his ukulele.

“We are here to make people happy,” Rusk said. “Children to adults 100 years of age.”