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Santa lives in Lakebay
It’s a mystery. It’s difficult to determine whether he’s the real Santa, or one of Santa’s helpers who arrives just in time for children to spend a fleeting moment with him.
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He’s got rosy cheeks, a round belly, and a full, white beard, which he said begins to draw attention this time of year. He lived in Alaska for many years, then in Ballard, and finally moved to Lakebay on the Key Peninsula in 2017.
When he’s not driving his sleigh, which he reserves only for Christmas Eve, Santa (Jerry Nebel) drives an old red truck.
Photo courtesy of Jess D Photography
Meet Santa
He goes by Santa for three months of the year, and he said that the rest of the time he’s known as Jerry Nebel. He spent years as a professional Santa in Seattle, but he’s decided to stay close to home this year, spreading cheer to company parties and home visit appointments with children.
His experience as Santa goes all the way back to the 1970s, when Nebel donned a red suit and beard to visit a hospital in Valdez, Alaska. He was in his 20s, working in the oil industry.
In 2008, while working for a tugboat company, he was asked to host the company Christmas party as Santa. He hesitated.
“At the time, I didn’t have a beard,” he said. “After some of the other boys told me ‘This is a big deal, because we really throw on,’ I said, ‘I’ll do it.’”
Santa’s suitable attire
The guy who had been playing the part gave him a cheap suit from another era. He had to buy some black boots and used tire polish to make them shine. His wife Patti added a few touches to his suit, and he welcomed a crowd of around 250 with great enthusiasm.
Nebel was soon in demand for holiday photos and parties, so he really needed a newer suit. He has two suits now: One is a more formal Victorian style, which he wears for formal events like wedding receptions and the St. Lucia festival at his church. The other is informal, what he calls Santa’s everyday outfit.
He wears that while hanging out with the elves, or when he’s outside with the reindeer. That one includes a nice lace-up vest, britches, brown furry boots and a furry coat that he takes off when he’s inside. And, of course, he carries presents in a large cloth bag with a sturdy leather bottom.
Whether it’s a hotel conference room, a large home, log cabin, or a small cottage, Santa (Jerry Nebel) is eager to visit with families. Photo courtesy of Satya Curcio Photography
Turning pro
Once he became a popular Santa, and was in high demand with his Santa job, his wife had the idea to go pro.
“She said, ‘If you really want to do this, you should find an agency,’” Nebel said.
He found an agent who took care of booking, collecting his fees and setting everything up. He also joined industry groups like the Santas of the Pacific Northwest and the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas.
Portrait studios booked him in January for the following December. His agent stoked bidding wars. He was booked solid, he said, from October through November. And his December schedule had him in Seattle every weekend of the month.
“There’s more photographers than weekends,” Nebel said, “so she made them pay in January. I had all of his, and then corporate parties and families.”
He was driving from his Lakebay home to Seattle each Friday, staying the weekend in a spare room at his agent’s house, and driving back on Monday. Making that drive every Friday, in the rain, and dark, is just not something he wants to do anymore, he said.
He’d rather stay closer to home, and travel shorter distances to North Tacoma, Gig Harbor, and Port Orchard. That’s why he joined the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce.
A very modern Santa
During COVID-19, Nebel was ready for the pivot to Zoom. He had already used Skype to thrill children in Ireland after getting the call from someone who found him online. He asked Nebel to provide a Skype with Santa service on Saturday and Sunday mornings, when it was bedtime in Ireland.
“I got these reviews, that I butchered the name of where they live, and butchered the child’s name, but the child loved me,” he said. “Oh, it’s funny.”
While working in Seattle, Santa (Jerry Nebel) took a break to check on the reindeer. Photo courtesy of Jerry Nebel
A fireplace may be the preferred background for families to have a photo with Santa, but Nebel said he prefers to be off to the side of the fireplace, and in a stiff chair that he can sit in with his knees straight out, instead of the big, overstuffed chair that he sinks into.
“Sitting with my knees straight gives a better place for kids to sit,” he said. “If my knees are up, it’s hard to balance them on my leg.”
For in-home appointments, he asks that children fill in a coloring page, and check off the boxes for things they’d like for Christmas.
A merry performer
Nebel is a performer and knows just how to get around difficult questions that inquiring little minds want to know the answers to.
He said he encourages parents to think of ways to make the visits work for their child. Not every child needs to sit on Santa’s lap, he said. Kids can sit in a chair beside him, or stand. If a child is afraid of Santa, he said it’s easy for him to be out of sight while the parent gets the child distracted with a toy, and then he can walk in to stand behind the child for the perfect shot.
His calendar is filling up, but to book a visit with Santa, or invite Santa to your family, or company party, visit JerryClaus.com. His fee is $265 per hour.
