Lynn Hulse, a seriously dedicated Santa, is coming to town

By Tamber Weston

Everyone thinks they know someone who is "really into Christmas," but not everyone knows Lynn Hulse.

For starters, this guy starts watching It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Story in July. If that weren't strange enough he does something only few Christmas lovers ever do.

On Christmas Eve Hulse shaves his full beard off and shaves his head bald and prepares for a new year.

In May he begins a transition from the little known Lynn Hulse into someone everyone knows and loves.

For the next six and a half months, Hulse lets his hair grow as long as it will and lets his otherwise groomed beard grow to 4 inches long. The next major part of the transition takes place on the day after Thanksgiving.

Hulse's wife Teri, bleaches his brown hair to some shade of orange, and eventually with subsequent bleaching to white. Then he's ready to don a red, crushed-velvet suit with furry white trim and spread some Christmas cheer.

That's right, Hulse is Santa Claus but you won't see this Santa at the mall.

"They say they can't afford a real-bearded Santa," said Hulse. So he makes most of his appearances at company, religious and family Christmas parties.

He began making appearances as Santa, six years ago when Teri's boss asked him to be Santa at their company party.

But Teri said his obsession with becoming Santa Claus came long before that time.

"He talked about it since the day I met him," said Teri. "He always wanted to be Santa."

Teri met Hulse when she was 18 years old in Idaho Falls. They married in 1981. They moved to Cache Valley in 1986 and raised three children, Nikki, 22, Ryan, 19, and Whitney, 18.

"It's sad I waited till my kids were older before doing this," said Hulse. "When they were young I was too serious . . . they lost out on Christmas."

But his son Ryan feels differently. Ryan said that as a child the thing he was concerned about most was the presents and he said his dad always offered plenty of those. He said it's fun to watch his dad now.

"He helps a lot of people and brings joy to the kids," said Ryan. He remembers that a few years back the family donated some of their Christmas gifts to a family in their neighborhood along with a Christmas tree. Hulse brought the gifts to the family in his Santa suit.

When he's not working as Santa, this 6-foot-2, 288-pound man works as a heavy equipment operator for the Cache County Road Department. Even at work Hulse worries about keeping up his Santa appearance.

When he is repairing equipment with a welder, he worries about embers getting into his beard. He said if that happened "there goes my beard."

"The guys as work make fun," said Hulse. "They don't believe in me." But there are plenty of others that do.

Teri said it's the most fun to put a red sweater on her husband and take him to the grocery store.

"The kids will say, 'Mommy, there's Santa,'" notes Teri. "And older women will give his beard a tug, just to make sure [it's real]."

Hulse didn't always sport his own beard. He wore a fake beard his first three years, but that was before he charged.

He started charging three years ago and asks for $50 an appearance or $50 an hour but says he's willing to negociate.

"I do lots of free ones [appearances]," said Hulse.

Out of his nine appearances this season he will only be paid for three of them.

Some of those free appearances are to homes. Often the parents have gifts they want Hulse to give to their children. Usually they will leave the gifts on the porch and Hulse will put them in his bag before knocking. But one time the parent told Hulse to get the gifts out of the trunk of the car in the garage.

"So there I am in some guy's garage in this [unfamiliar] neighborhood taking gifts out his car and putting them in a bag," recalled Hulse. "I get worried."

But the thing Hulse worries about most at appearances, is appearing too soon.

"I don't want the kids watching me get out of my truck," said Hulse.

Hulse said most of his family is "real supportive." His 6-year-old niece Mckaela calls him "Uncle Ho Ho" and calls him occasionally to make sure he shops where her wish-list items can be found.

Unfortunately not all his extended family is so supportive.

One time when he and Teri were out to dinner with Hulse's brother and his wife, Hulse received the normal looks and comments from others at the restaurant and his sister-in-law asked Teri, "Doesn't he embarrass you?

"I told her 'Not at all,'" said Teri. "It's so much fun and he makes people so happy. No, I'm not embarrassed."

Hulse said, "She [his sister-in-law] gets a lump of coal."

Furthermore, Teri says she loves the way her husband looks.

"I told him the other day, I wish he could keep this hair color all year round," said Teri. "He just looks brighter."

Teri said one of the most common comments Lynn gets when they go out is: "You should play Santa." Hulse loves it.

He says he loves to be the center of attention and was always the class clown.

"Now for one month I am the most famous, most recognized person in the world," Hulse relished.

"Lynn doesn't do anything in a small way," said Teri.

Despite all the attention Hulse receives he says the best part of the job is "the kids."

Hulse said he particularly enjoys talking to children with disabilities. He said they are accepting and never question his authenticity.

Hulse said he will never forget the time when a girl with hearing loss asked him what he wanted for Christmas. He told her he just wanted "everyone to be happy.

In contrast to these experiences, Hulse says the job has it's down side too. Hulse said he hates the beard and doesn't like long hair.

"It's different to sleep with and it's hot in the summer time," he said.

Then there's the bleaching and Hulse said sometimes "it burns."

After the burning is over his hair is left brittle and sometimes it "comes out in clumps." If that weren't bad enough, the bleach takes out the natural curl and Teri must use a curling iron on Hulse's beard

"She's burned me a few times," said Hulse. "She's burned herself too . . . she's careful . . . no one wants a Santa with a burned face."

Even if his face doesn't burn up sometimes Hulse does in his Santa suit.

After this process Hulse considers giving it up, but the good experiences change his mind.

"One party makes the pain of it worth it," he said.

He said it does get less painful each year.

His wife has found some bleach that doesn't burn as badly and that gets his hair white on the second treatment. Teri made Hulse a new Santa suit this year, so he doesn't have to over heat in the one she made him two years ago.

Hulse said the thing that sets him apart from other Santa-look-a-likes, is that he never promises the children they'll get what they ask for.

Once a child asked for a dog. Hulse convinced the child that a dog is a big responsibility, "so he asked for a Spider-Man toy instead."

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