Five years ago, Don Gonzales found his calling as Santa Claus when his long white beard caught the eye of a photo studio owner at an Oahu mall.
“She looked at me and said, ‘Is that real?’, and I looked at her and said ‘Of course it’s real,’” he said. He got the gig playing Santa at the mall’s rotunda for three years, and then branched out to other venues, including last year’s Winter Wonderland at the Hawaii Convention Center.
This year’s been tough, though. The pandemic dried up much of the work for Santas. No shoots on the beach. No private parties.
Gonzales considers himself lucky to have landed a gig as Santa at the Show Aloha Land light show at Aloha Stadium.
But it’s not the same as in years past. The kids are in the cars, not on his lap.
“I want them to pull the car over and come and take pictures with me,” Gonzales said. “Although I am here and they are there, the windows are up, the kids just want to touch me. They put their hands up against the window. The first time they did and I saw that, my heart literally broke into a million pieces.”
Besides being a Santa, he is a drummer at two churches, runs a care home for the elderly at his Ewa house and works as a fumigator. He lives with his wife, daughter and grandchildren. He’s also a recovering addict, clean for 30 years.
Gonzales spent eight years as a tour guide in Waikiki, but he wants to finish his work life pursuing his passion, playing Santa Claus.
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