It's the eternal Yuletide paradox: just as children's desire to see Santa reaches its height, the great man is unavoidably detained at North Pole HQ, overseeing lastminute preparations for his sleighborne odyssey. While the need for impersonators is quite clearly unavoidable, their burden is a heavy one – a wonky beard here, an unfortunate cry of “Ha-ha-ha!” there and youngsters might think that even Santa himself is a fraud.
Happily, a professional is here to help. Every December, at half-hourly intervals, you'll find Danann McAleer dropping down the capacious chimney in the great hall of Ashton Court Mansion, Bristol, to be met by another audience of awestruck kids.
“It's about being big and booming, almost Brian Blessed-esque, but not to the point where you terrify smaller children,” he advises. “You…
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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, December 2024