Cookies, Carrots, and Claus: A Journey into Holiday Magic

Sponsored by Richardson Farms

In this festive episode of Conversations with Rich Bennett, Wendy Beck and Robyn Burke take listeners on a heartwarming journey through cherished Christmas traditions, including the enchanting legend of the Christmas Spider. The duo surprises Rich with a special guest—Santa Claus himself! Together, they discuss holiday magic, Santa’s favorite cookies, the reindeer’s antics, and the timeless values of kindness and giving. Along the way, they reminisce about beloved Christmas movies, family traditions, and Rich’s personal journey as a community Santa. Sponsored by Richardson Farms, this episode is brimming with holiday cheer, laughter, and surprises sure to delight listeners of all ages.

Sponsor Message:

This episode of Conversations with Rich Bennett is proudly sponsored by Richardson Farms—your local destination for fresh produce, delicious deli offerings, and seasonal treasures. Located in White Marsh, Maryland, Richardson Farms has been a family-owned tradition for five generations, providing the community with farm-fresh ingredients and handcrafted meals perfect for any occasion.

Whether you're looking for locally grown vegetables, hot entrees to warm your holidays, or unique gifts and seasonal decor, Richardson Farms has something for everyone. Stop by today to experience the best of Maryland agriculture and savor the flavors of the season. Visit richardsonfarms.net to learn more. Thank you, Richardson Farms, for supporting our show and spreading holiday cheer!

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Locally grown produce, flowers, fresh rotisserie chicken, specialty food items, and more!

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Transcript

Wendy Beck 0:00
Today on Conversations with Rich Bennett. Robin and I decided that we would kind of get a little sneaky and record a podcast about Christmas traditions and then play for Rich later. What do you think, Robin? 

Robyn Burke 0:13
I think that's a great idea. He's all about Christmas, so let's do it. I. 

Wendy Beck 0:18
Okay, cool. I mean, I. I know that every family has their their traditions and what they like, and, you know. I don't think that there's a right or wrong answer. Everybody has their own family traditions. 

Robyn Burke 0:32
I agree. And I think some of the traditions that are handed down from generation to generation are the most treasured. But I also like when people make new traditions and. 

Wendy Beck 0:41
Yes, I do, too. Well, obvious. The obvious one is Santa. 

Robyn Burke 0:46
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 0:47
And we know who likes Santa the best. 

Robyn Burke 0:50
Me. 

Wendy Beck 0:51
Oh, yeah. You and and Rich. Rich had something to do with Santa as well. So I think he's going to be surprised that we're doing this. 

Robyn Burke 0:59
I think so too. I can't wait for him to listen to it. 

Wendy Beck 1:01
I know. 

Robyn Burke 1:02
Let's start with the traditions. Have you ever I just was given this this morning and I didn't know it. Have you heard of the legend of the Christmas spider? 

Wendy Beck 1:09
No, not until you mentioned it. 

Robyn Burke 1:10
Yeah. So the legend goes. If you've ever gazed at the beautiful tinsel sparkling on your Christmas tree and wondered who came up with the idea of decorating the tree in this way, wonder no longer. According to German legend, it signified a Christmas miracle. For many years ago, the day before Christmas, as the small house in Germany underwent its Christmas Eve cleaning, the resident spiders, not wanting to be swept up with the broom, hid in the attic when nightfall came and all were settled into the bed. The spiders crept downstairs, to their amazement. In the middle of the living room was a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. They scurried up the trunk and leapt from branch to branch. Unfortunately, they had left their mark. A grey spiderweb now covered the whole tree. When Father Christmas arrived, he was amused to see the tree covered in spider webs. Now he faced a dilemma. The family would be disappointed to see their beautiful tree all wrapped in the webs. But the spiders were so pleased with their handiwork that he did not have the heart to take it down. What could he do? He thought and thought then came up with a wonderful solution. He turned all the webs into beautiful, shimmering silver strands. When the family awoke on Christmas morning, they ran to the living room and saw their tree sparkling and glittering in the morning sun. They had never seen such a beautiful tree. Only the mother knew that a true Christmas miracle had occurred overnight. From that day on, Tinsel became a treasured ornament from trees all over the world. Those who know the legend make sure they give thanks to the industrious spiders by hanging a beautiful spider or permanent ornament in a prominent location on their tree. Who knew? 

Wendy Beck 2:46
I had no idea. 

Robyn Burke 2:49
I just 

Wendy Beck 2:50
Well, and that goes along with you know, I wrote a children's book called Christmas Angel, and that was another, you know, tradition that has, you know, come to be in my family where the Christmas tree turned 

Robyn Burke 3:02
into 

Wendy Beck 3:02
into a living thing and all of the woodland animals and the the birds and the dove, you know, nested in the tree as to show that the tree was going to continue to give memories every year. So 

Robyn Burke 3:16
I. 

Wendy Beck 3:16
there's a lot yeah, there's a lot of nice Christmas traditions. But, you know, I think that, you know, we bake cookies, we have gift exchanges, holiday gift exchanges with our friends and family. Gosh, what else are. 

Robyn Burke 3:33
Do you hang stockings? 

Wendy Beck 3:34
We do. We hang stockings. 

Robyn Burke 3:36
And when do you hang yours? 

Wendy Beck 3:38
Well, Christmas Eve, of course. 

Robyn Burke 3:41
I used to hang it on Christmas Eve, but then I became so OCD about the. Right way that the children come in and their kids are already. 

Wendy Beck 3:53
All right, Here's a do we do we do we wait until December to decorate or we do we decorate after Thanksgiving or before? 

Robyn Burke 4:01
Well, that's a good question. I used to always do at Thanksgiving weekend, but the older I have become one, it takes. 

Wendy Beck 4:09
It 

Robyn Burke 4:09
So 

Wendy Beck 4:09
takes 

Robyn Burke 4:09
I 

Wendy Beck 4:09
longer. 

Robyn Burke 4:10
start. 

Wendy Beck 4:10
I. 

Robyn Burke 4:10
I start mid-November. 

Wendy Beck 4:13
Okay, well, that makes sense. I mean, it does. My daughter actually insisted that we start putting stuff up because today is actually one month from Christmas. 

Robyn Burke 4:21
It's. 

Wendy Beck 4:21
So. 

Robyn Burke 4:22
Giving 

Wendy Beck 4:22
Yes. 

Robyn Burke 4:22
so late that it's such a short snippet of time and you want to enjoy it 

Wendy Beck 4:27
Yes, 

Robyn Burke 4:27
AS 

Wendy Beck 4:27
Well, that was the argument that we had yesterday. So we were we were starting to to pull out some of the Christmas stuff. And, 

Robyn Burke 4:33
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 4:34
you know, will will kind of continue after Thanksgiving. But I'm kind of a. 

Robyn Burke 4:38
The turkey will taste the same. 

Wendy Beck 4:40
Yes, I guess it will. It will. So what? You know, what should we. I mean, if I had some if I had Santa here, we could ask him a lot of stuff about traditions. 

Robyn Burke 4:50
We have so many questions for Santa. How old were you when you stopped believing? 

Wendy Beck 4:56
Oh, I was. I was the oldest. So it's been. I was older. Yeah, 

Robyn Burke 5:01
I 

Wendy Beck 5:02
I 

Robyn Burke 5:02
have. 

Wendy Beck 5:02
was older. Okay. 

Santa Claus 5:04
Sorry I'm late. 

Wendy Beck 5:05
Santa. I didn't know you were coming. 

Robyn Burke 5:08
I didn't know you were coming. 

Santa Claus 5:09
I got a message from somebody to come. 

Wendy Beck 5:13
Awesome. 

Robyn Burke 5:13
That's interesting. I didn't send him a message. 

Wendy Beck 5:16
No, Me neither. We were going to surprise Rich with this podcast. 

Robyn Burke 5:19
Yeah. 

Santa Claus 5:21
One of my elves told me to be here. 

Wendy Beck 5:23
Okay. All right, So now we can get the dirt from 

Robyn Burke 5:27
We 

Wendy Beck 5:27
the real. 

Robyn Burke 5:27
can. We can. Really. 

Wendy Beck 5:29
Yeah. So, Santa. All right. Well, I have a lot of questions for Santa. 

Robyn Burke 5:34
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 5:35
Okay. How. How old are you? How old are you, Santa? 

Santa Claus 5:41
Okay. I didn't know you were a good person right away. Well. 

Wendy Beck 5:45
Well. 

Santa Claus 5:45
It's 

true. In all honesty, I have no idea. After a while, you just stop counting. 

Robyn Burke 5:55
Did you stop celebrating birthdays? 

Santa Claus 5:58
I just love celebrating Christmas more and more. 

Wendy Beck 6:02
What's your favorite food and cookie? That's always that's always an important thing for the kids to know. What cookies are your favorite when you go into a house? 

Santa Claus 6:11
Favorite cookie. Let me rephrase that. My favorite cookies are the ones that the kids help their parents meet. 

Wendy Beck 6:20
Okay. 

Santa Claus 6:21
It's because a lot of kids, when I ask them if they're going to leave me cookies, a lot of times they'll say, Yeah, they're making me Christmas tree cookies. Well, Christmas tree cookie can be a sugar cookie or whatever. I got to admit, though, couple of years ago, I fell in love with chocolate covered Oreos. 

Wendy Beck 6:39
Ooh. 

Santa Claus 6:40
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 6:40
Okay. 

Robyn Burke 6:41
Yeah, that's a good one. 

Santa Claus 6:42
But personally, I do like the ones that the kids help make. 

Robyn Burke 6:46
They can make chocolate covered Oreos. 

Santa Claus 6:48
Oh, yeah. You know. 

Wendy Beck 6:50
How about the reindeer? Did they appreciate the carrots? 

Santa Claus 6:53
So here's a little secret about the carrots and the reindeer. A lot of people don't realize this. 

Robyn Burke 7:00
You eat the carrots? 

Santa Claus 7:01
No. 

Wendy Beck 7:02
No. 

Santa Claus 7:03
Blitzen always tries to take the carriage. And what happens is my he eats so many carrots, my sleigh is tilting. 

Robyn Burke 7:13
Wow. 

Santa Claus 7:14
Fly because. 

Wendy Beck 7:14
Wow. 

Santa Claus 7:15
That's why I always I always tell the kids, if they can, to put out magic reindeer food and they can actually make that. 

Wendy Beck 7:22
What's that? 

Robyn Burke 7:24
Yes, we do that. 

Santa Claus 7:26
Okay. 

Wendy Beck 7:27
What is it? 

Robyn Burke 7:28
It's oatmeal and glitter. 

Santa Claus 7:32
Edible. 

Robyn Burke 7:32
Shake it in the best. 

Santa Claus 7:32
Edible. 

Robyn Burke 7:33
Edible 

Santa Claus 7:33
Good. 

Robyn Burke 7:33
glitter. 

Santa Claus 7:34
Yes. 

Robyn Burke 7:34
Shake it in the bag and then the kids go out and throw it in the yard on Christmas. 

Wendy Beck 7:39
So that's a tradition. 

Robyn Burke 7:40
Letter. 

Santa Claus 7:41
See. 

Robyn Burke 7:42
The reindeer. See the glitter in. 

Wendy Beck 7:43
Oh, 

Santa Claus 7:44
This. 

Wendy Beck 7:44
okay. 

Robyn Burke 7:45
Oatmeal. 

Santa Claus 7:45
But I mean, if they want to put out carrots, they can still put out carrots because. 

Robyn Burke 7:50
BLITZER. 

Santa Claus 7:51
You know. 

Wendy Beck 7:53
Well, that's good. That's good, Santa. 

Robyn Burke 7:55
Good balance cookies and carrots. 

Wendy Beck 7:57
All right. Because you have to fly around the world all in one night. Do you drink a lot of coffee? 

Santa Claus 8:03
I don't drink any coffee. 

Wendy Beck 8:04
What? Coco? Yeah. Oh. 

Santa Claus 8:06
Chocolate. 

Wendy Beck 8:07
The key is to keep you going. 

Robyn Burke 8:08
Caffeinated. 

Wendy Beck 8:09
When the kids sit it out. 

Santa Claus 8:11
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And the cookies, the sugar and the cookies. It helps me keep. 

Wendy Beck 8:17
So that's how you get around the world in one night. 

Santa Claus 8:18
Whoa. It's because of my reindeer. I mean, but it's. 

They're fast asleep. Fast. And the cookies and the hot chocolate and the milk actually helped me keep going. 

Robyn Burke 8:32
How do you keep track of all the different time zones in the world? 

Santa Claus 8:36
I got all these clocks in my sled. 

Robyn Burke 8:40
Well. 

Wendy Beck 8:42
Well, how many elves live at the North Pole? I mean, I can only imagine it's probably a lot. 

Santa Claus 8:48
So it's like the reindeer? I have no idea. There are so many. 

Wendy Beck 8:56
Does Mrs. Claus take care of that kind of stuff? 

Santa Claus 8:58
Mrs. Claus runs the North Pole, and she. 

Robyn Burke 9:04
And you. 

Santa Claus 9:05
Oh, yeah. Because after after Christmas, she puts me on a strict diet because of all the cookies that I eat, I It's because when. When, before Christmas, I lose that belly. But it's amazing how much weight I put on when I'm flying around the world, eating all them cookies. 

Robyn Burke 9:25
It's a lot of houses. 

Santa Claus 9:27
It's a lot of houses. 

Robyn Burke 9:28
That's a lot of cookies. 

Santa Claus 9:29
Mrs. Claus puts me on that die because I got to be in top physical shape to, you know, get around the world and to be able to eat all those cookies that I. 

Wendy Beck 9:39
Well, let me ask you a question. What happens to the kids that are on the naughty list? Do they not get toys? 

Santa Claus 9:47
Still. 

Wendy Beck 9:48
Oh, okay. 

Santa Claus 9:49
In all honesty, it's 

it would take a lot to be on that naughty list. Every kid is nice. They may do something bad, but they have niceness in our heart. 

Robyn Burke 10:05
How do they get from the naughty list to the nice list? Ah, can you. Ah. Once 

Santa Claus 10:08
Yes, she. 

Robyn Burke 10:08
you're on the it's. 

Santa Claus 10:11
So when you get on the naughty list, it's usually because you do something. 

Wendy Beck 10:15
Well, you didn't listen to your parents. You didn't make your bed or clean your room or do your homework. 

Robyn Burke 10:20
Were 

Santa Claus 10:20
Right. 

Robyn Burke 10:20
mean. 

Wendy Beck 10:21
Yeah. I mean. Oh, yeah. 

Santa Claus 10:22
If you. 

Wendy Beck 10:23
Bullied somebody. 

Robyn Burke 10:24
Yes. 

Santa Claus 10:24
Then to where you. Let's say that your bullion, if you turn around and do something nice and help him or her, then that. 

Wendy Beck 10:36
It undoes your. 

Santa Claus 10:38
Does it? 

Wendy Beck 10:38
Okay. 

Robyn Burke 10:39
But what if they don't? They're not going to get coal. 

Santa Claus 10:45
I can't, you know, I can't give a kid, Cole. They may not get as. 

Wendy Beck 10:51
I think that's an urban legend. 

Robyn Burke 10:53
Yeah. 

Santa Claus 10:54
Many presidents. 

Robyn Burke 10:56
Oh, okay. 

Santa Claus 10:57
And I get what they asked for. 

Robyn Burke 11:00
But they get something. 

Santa Claus 11:01
Right. So let's say. I don't know. Little Lyndon does something bad, and he keeps doing bad things. And he asked for, I don't know, let's say a four wheeler. Well, little Landon may end up getting a Barbie doll instead. I said, look, it's the ILS taught me that they always like to play jokes. 

Wendy Beck 11:27
Ah, yes. Yes. 

Santa Claus 11:29
If you're that bad, they. 

Wendy Beck 11:32
The elves will play tricks on you. 

Santa Claus 11:34
Oh, yeah. 

Wendy Beck 11:34
So who's Santa's favorite elf? 

Santa Claus 11:38
I don't. 

Wendy Beck 11:38
And what about the Elf 

Santa Claus 11:39
Mrs. 

Wendy Beck 11:39
on the 

Santa Claus 11:39
Claus. 

Wendy Beck 11:39
shelf? Mrs. Claus isn't an elf. 

Santa Claus 11:43
She shouted at me. 

Wendy Beck 11:44
Does the elf on that? Does the Elf on the Elf on the shelf report back to Santas had. 

Santa Claus 11:50
Okay. Should I? There's a myth about the Elf on the shelf. I think it was Hermann. Hermann is one of my idols. He came to me one year and said, Santa, I had an idea. I was like, What's that? He said, What if. During Christmas time. We go to the houses and. 

Wendy Beck 12:12
Spy. 

Santa Claus 12:13
Yes, more or less. I was like, Herman, you can't do that. Who's going to make the toys? He said, Well, we can make still made to toys. Where are you going? And I said, How are you going to do that if you're somebody anyways? You make a long story short. Herman won the argument because he went to Mrs. Claus. 

So. 

Wendy Beck 12:31
Smart. 

Santa Claus 12:32
But 

Wendy Beck 12:32
Smart. 

Santa Claus 12:32
there's. 

Wendy Beck 12:32
Else. 

Santa Claus 12:33
Relation. All the ills, all the else on a shelf 

have to come back and make toys when the kids are sleeping. And then they go. 

Robyn Burke 12:43
Also when they go to the north. 

Wendy Beck 12:45
Oh, is that why they're in a different place when they wake up? Because they're in a rush to get back in? Like, just find a spot. Oh. 

Robyn Burke 12:52
Well. 

Santa Claus 12:53
Didn't about elves. They're very mischievous. 

Robyn Burke 12:56
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 12:57
I've heard that. And. Well. 

Robyn Burke 12:58
Yes, because we have enough on the shelf at our house. And I don't know how he's not on the naughty. 

Wendy Beck 13:03
Does he have 

Santa Claus 13:03
Which 

Wendy Beck 13:03
any? 

Santa Claus 13:03
ones? 

Wendy Beck 13:03
What's. 

Robyn Burke 13:05
Raspberry. 

Santa Claus 13:06
Oh. 

Wendy Beck 13:07
We have Snowflake. 

Santa Claus 13:09
Oh, well. 

Wendy Beck 13:10
Snowflake is sweet. 

Santa Claus 13:11
Snowflake. 

Robyn Burke 13:11
Raspberry is 

Santa Claus 13:12
Snowflake 

Robyn Burke 13:12
bad. 

Santa Claus 13:13
is nice. Raspberry. 

Robyn Burke 13:16
He's funny, but he really messes up my house. 

Santa Claus 13:19
Is a jokester, 

Robyn Burke 13:20
Yes, he is. 

Santa Claus 13:21
sister. 

Robyn Burke 13:22
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 13:23
Well when we were going to do this. 

Santa Claus 13:24
Not like Junior. Your husband is. 

Robyn Burke 13:27
Yes. Yes, he's a. 

Santa Claus 13:29
He's a prankster like. 

Robyn Burke 13:30
He's probably on the naughty list. 

Santa Claus 13:32
Junior. 

Robyn Burke 13:33
Yeah. 

Santa Claus 13:34
The. 

Wendy Beck 13:36
Well, when we were going to do this, we did ask some some kids some questions. And Justin, you know, about Christmas traditions and stuff like that. And one little girl in Ohio, she wants to know why you only work one day a year. 

Santa Claus 13:50
I don't. 

Wendy Beck 13:52
Well. 

Santa Claus 13:53
I work every day now. I only deliver toys one day. 

Wendy Beck 13:58
Oh. 

Robyn Burke 13:59
Do the other days. 

Santa Claus 14:02
I do the same things you do. 

Wendy Beck 14:03
He's in management. 

Robyn Burke 14:05
All right. Right. So you still have weekends and holidays off. 

Santa Claus 14:09
Even though I even though I don't work during the year, I'm working because. Kids may see me at the store somewhere. It could be October, it could be September, but they may not know it's me. 

Robyn Burke 14:22
And are you still watching the naughty and nice list 

Santa Claus 14:25
Yeah, 

Robyn Burke 14:25
and 

Santa Claus 14:25
it's 

Robyn Burke 14:25
all 

Santa Claus 14:25
true. 

Robyn Burke 14:25
that kind of stuff and. 

Santa Claus 14:27
Some kids have recognized me. That's stupid. Yeah. There's because kids always ask me, Well, where are your reindeer? Santa can get around his reindeer. Santa knows how to drive a car. Senior knows how to drive a boat. 

Robyn Burke 14:42
Oh, you probably know how to drive in the snow. 

Santa Claus 14:44
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 14:45
Well, this was another. 

Santa Claus 14:46
Question 

Wendy Beck 14:46
From 

Santa Claus 14:46
for. 

Wendy Beck 14:47
Joey in Baltimore. He says, How will you get into my house if I don't have a chimney? 

Santa Claus 14:55
That's a good question, Joe. I get that asked a lot, but there's a lot of magic there, so I can't give away all my secrets. Just remember that you're supposed to be sleeping. And if you're trying to stay awake and look for me, I will wait to your sleep before I come in the house. I cannot give away all my secrets. 

Wendy Beck 15:18
Okay. 

Robyn Burke 15:20
Sinha How long do you sleep when you get home on Christmas? 

Wendy Beck 15:24
Ooh, that's a good question. 

Santa Claus 15:26
Almost the whole day. 

Robyn Burke 15:28
I bet, because you've you've stayed up for more than 24 hours. 

Santa Claus 15:33
Almost the whole day, unless raspberry is back that day. 

Robyn Burke 15:39
Oh, yeah. 

Santa Claus 15:40
Yeah, because Raspberry, Raspberry and Herman both will come in and try to tickle my toes while I'm sleeping. Tell you they are pranksters. 

Robyn Burke 15:49
Yeah. 

Santa Claus 15:50
They are. 

Robyn Burke 15:51
So. 

Wendy Beck 15:51
It sounds like they're on the naughty list. 

Santa Claus 15:53
Yeah. I tried to get a hold. Well, not a whole day, but, I mean, I would like to try to get at least 12 hour sleep when I get home. 

Wendy Beck 16:00
Well, And then I'm sure you go on a vacation right after. Where does Santa Vacation? 

Robyn Burke 16:05
US. 

Santa Claus 16:06
I love going everywhere. Mean, I like going to the islands. 

Wendy Beck 16:11
Okay. 

Santa Claus 16:11
I love the beaches. I love the mountains, of course. Believe it or not, there are times when, like in January I'll go skiing somewhere. 

Different countries. I just love going everywhere. But my favorite vacation is really just 

going and seeing what everybody else is doing. Because I keep seeing kids. We keep saying kids, but it's kids of all ages. 

Robyn Burke 16:43
How do you see them? Do you have a special snow globe you look into? 

Wendy Beck 16:46
Ooh, yeah. 

Robyn Burke 16:47
That's like four different. 

Santa Claus 16:48
I do have a special. 

Robyn Burke 16:49
Areas. 

Santa Claus 16:50
I have that, but I also have helpers everywhere. 

Robyn Burke 16:54
So they report? No. But you can look at your magic snow globe and pinpoint, Hey, this is where. 

Santa Claus 17:00
Yes, but why are you making me sound like the Wicked Witch of the West now? 

Robyn Burke 17:04
No, I'm just. 

Wendy Beck 17:05
No, that's you know what? Maybe that's the original reason for the snow globe. 

Robyn Burke 17:09
Yeah. Is. 

Wendy Beck 17:10
Oh, and you know what? 

Santa Claus 17:11
Yes, it is. 

Wendy Beck 17:12
That is a tradition I have. I collect snow globes. 

Robyn Burke 17:15
Me too. I love the snow globe. 

Wendy Beck 17:18
I have a special place in my heart. 

Robyn Burke 17:19
So that started with and we didn't even know it. 

Santa Claus 17:23
Yeah. And you think about it. What you see when you shake a snow globe. What do you see? 

Robyn Burke 17:29
No. 

Santa Claus 17:30
Right. What do I see? 

Robyn Burke 17:34
Green. 

Santa Claus 17:35
No. So when you shake that snow globe and I got that giant one. 

Robyn Burke 17:38
Yeah. 

Santa Claus 17:39
It's almost like a camera lens. Yours is. 

Robyn Burke 17:41
All because you can't shake that because it's too 

Santa Claus 17:43
Right. 

Robyn Burke 17:43
big. 

Santa Claus 17:44
But when everybody shakes their snow globes, it's like it's activating the camera. 

Wendy Beck 17:48
Oh. 

Robyn Burke 17:50
Oh, well. 

Wendy Beck 17:51
That's cool. 

Robyn Burke 17:52
The kids need to know. The more they shake their snow globes, the more you could see them. 

Santa Claus 17:56
Mm. 

Wendy Beck 17:57
So one of the things this time of year, everyone starts to watch their their favorite Christmas movies. Do Santa have a favorite Christmas movie? 

Santa Claus 18:05
Oh ho, ho, ho! Yes, I have several. Oh, it's a Wonderful Life has always been my favorite. Always. 

Robyn Burke 18:13
Good one. 

Santa Claus 18:14
Love Jimmy Stewart. White Christmas. 

Wendy Beck 18:16
I know. I was going to say that. 

Robyn Burke 18:18
The fine to. 

Santa Claus 18:20
Chris. 

Wendy Beck 18:20
I like that one. 

Santa Claus 18:22
There's one. It's pretty new. It's not. Well, it is a classic now, but when I watch it, it's like every time I watch it, I laugh hysterically. 

Wendy Beck 18:34
Okay. 

Santa Claus 18:35
Elf. 

Wendy Beck 18:35
That's my favorite. 

Robyn Burke 18:36
Love of. 

Wendy Beck 18:37
Yeah. Elf is like, my favorite. Elf. White Christmas. I am a fan of the Christmas story. Ralphie. I love. I love that. And there's one. And I'm going to ask. 

Santa Claus 18:51
Two. 

Wendy Beck 18:52
Yeah. 

Santa Claus 18:52
Well, I like a Christmas carol. 

Wendy Beck 18:55
Okay. 

Robyn Burke 18:56
I like anything on the Hallmark Channel. 

Just saying. 

Wendy Beck 19:00
There is a Christmas movie that I saw when I was a child, and it's I've never seen it again. And I'm going to throw this out there. If anybody knows of the Christmas movie that's called The House Without a Christmas Tree. 

Santa Claus 19:13
Mm 

Wendy Beck 19:13
You know that one. I want to see that again. It's been years and years. Santa, if you could figure out a way for me to see that. I love that movie. 

Robyn Burke 19:21
I heard of that one. 

Santa Claus 19:23
If I'm not mistaken. I think that move I don't think it was in a town. I was in the house, like in the country or something. 

Wendy Beck 19:30
It was a house where the mother had died. So the father had decided that he was not going to celebrate 

Santa Claus 19:35
Right 

Wendy Beck 19:35
Christmas anymore. So it was the house without a Christmas tree. And then the little girl, his daughter, somehow, you know, they they get back into 

Santa Claus 19:43
to the 

Wendy Beck 19:43
the 

Santa Claus 19:43
Christmas. 

Wendy Beck 19:43
Christmas spirit over time. 

Robyn Burke 19:45
Oh, well. 

Santa Claus 19:46
Yeah, it's it's it's a very good movie. But you know what? I haven't seen it in years. 

Wendy Beck 19:51
Yeah. I don't know where that is, but. 

Santa Claus 19:53
All the streaming services out there or. 

Wendy Beck 19:56
I looked and I didn't find it. But I'll continue to look. 

Santa Claus 19:59
I'll have to check when I get back to the North Pole. The North Pole? Maybe it's on the Santa Claus Channel. 

Wendy Beck 20:06
There's a Santa Clause channel. 

Robyn Burke 20:07
QUESTIONER. 

Santa Claus 20:07
In a closed channel. 

Robyn Burke 20:09
Oh, it's got all your favourites on there. Do you like Home Alone? 

Wendy Beck 20:12
Yes. 

Santa Claus 20:13
I love him in 

Robyn Burke 20:14
Yes. 

Santa Claus 20:14
there. But yeah, the Santa Claus Channel is something that Mrs. Claus created. So that movie could be on the Santa Claus Channel because she watches all these movies. Even your Hallmark movies. Oh, but you can't get when you can look all over your phone. But you're not going to find the Santa Claus Channel. 

Wendy Beck 20:33
Okay. Sorry. 

Santa Claus 20:34
Only the North Pole 

only place. 

Wendy Beck 20:38
Only at the North Pole. Okay, well, that makes sense. 

Santa Claus 20:41
Only I do have it in the workshop because the elves, you know, when they Christmas is over, they get a little break and they just like 

Wendy Beck 20:49
Like 

Santa Claus 20:49
to 

Wendy Beck 20:49
this. 

Santa Claus 20:49
sit there. 

Robyn Burke 20:50
So do they normally listen to Christmas music? Other music? Christmas shows. What do they do? Well, they're working. 

Santa Claus 20:56
Depends on who was there. 

Because Herman is a metalhead. 

Robyn Burke 21:04
Wow. 

Santa Claus 21:04
Yeah. All the ls like all different types of music. But, Herman, if he's back in the workshop, he will. What was he listening to the other day? 

Apparently, there's a a band Twisted Sister that did some type of some Christmas music. Yes. 

Wendy Beck 21:24
Okay. All right, so no elf is created equal. They all 

Santa Claus 21:27
Right. 

Wendy Beck 21:28
have their own personalities and their. 

Santa Claus 21:30
Because you have. Who? 

The other day, one of the girls was listening to 

Dolly Parton. 

Robyn Burke 21:42
Yeah. 

Santa Claus 21:43
Who is that? That may have been Lindsay. That was plain. 

Wendy Beck 21:48
Lindsay, the elf. 

Santa Claus 21:49
Yes. Yeah. So all the else they like. But yeah. This time of year. 

Robyn Burke 21:54
So they don't all have Christmas. 

Santa Claus 21:58
No. 

No, ma'am, because a lot of times the again, when it's not the season, the L's are out there as well and throughout the world. 

Wendy Beck 22:10
So are all the elves full time or are they part time to have part time items? 

Santa Claus 22:15
Well, thanks to Herman there part time, because, you know, they're sitting on shelves in different homes. 

Wendy Beck 22:20
Oh. 

Santa Claus 22:21
But technically they're working. So, yes, they're all full time. 

Robyn Burke 22:25
And do you have like girl elves that also are in the construction field and boy elves that are making dolls? 

Santa Claus 22:32
Yeah. Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 22:33
Everybody does anything. 

Santa Claus 22:35
They all do whatever they want. 

Robyn Burke 22:35
Painters and. 

Santa Claus 22:37
We also now here's the funny thing, because I've had kids ask me this. They said, well, see, you know, how can your LS don't make videogames? Well, this is true. They don't. But we do have elves that work with these other, I guess, manufacturers. To where they can get the games and things. 

Robyn Burke 22:58
Is there anything that a child asks for, for you, for Christmas that you have to say no to? 

Santa Claus 23:06
I never say no to it. 

Robyn Burke 23:08
So if they want a puppy. 

Santa Claus 23:10
I never say no to them. If they if if they ask me if they want a puppy out of town, that I'd have to. Your parents. 

Wendy Beck 23:20
Yeah, it. 

Robyn Burke 23:21
Oh, that makes. 

Santa Claus 23:22
But I will. 

Wendy Beck 23:22
They're ready for that. 

Robyn Burke 23:24
Right. 

Santa Claus 23:24
Never tell a child? No. 

Robyn Burke 23:27
Okay. 

Wendy Beck 23:29
So when you, you know. You do the Christmas Eve and that's an all nighter. And then you're doing the workshop staff and the supervision and all that. Well, when you go around and you talk to the kids, tell us a little bit about that, because that's really special. You're like one on one. Like, what's the craziest thing someone's asked for? Or, you know, your most memorable moment? 

Santa Claus 23:54
Oh, wow. The craziest thing. 

Hmm. I think the craziest thing is 

there was a little boy who's who was Frank. His name was Frank. And he because he saw the movie The Santa Claus. 

Wendy Beck 24:18
Mm hmm. 

Santa Claus 24:19
So that's what he wanted for Christmas. Not the Santa Claus. He wanted to come back to the North Pole and live with me and work. 

Wendy Beck 24:26
Oh. 

Robyn Burke 24:27
Wow. 

Santa Claus 24:28
But I couldn't 

Wendy Beck 24:29
No. Well, that was 

Santa Claus 24:30
do 

Wendy Beck 24:30
a 

Santa Claus 24:30
that. 

Wendy Beck 24:30
that was 

Robyn Burke 24:31
How 

Wendy Beck 24:31
the. 

Robyn Burke 24:31
do you remember all their names? 

Santa Claus 24:34
I have a lot of help from the elves and Mrs. Claus. 

Robyn Burke 24:37
Okay. 

Santa Claus 24:38
Yes, because, you see, I mean, there are. I mean, I remember they like I could see some I'm I law. I'm good at recognizing faces So a little boy or girl I saw them when they were two, three or four. Now, if they're 60, 70, 80, I recognize them. 

Robyn Burke 24:58
And you remember their name. 

Santa Claus 25:00
Well. 

Wendy Beck 25:01
You recognize their face? 

Santa Claus 25:02
Recognize their face. Yeah, it's hard to remember their names, but. But I could pull out my. Yes, Senator Kerry's a cell phone and send a picture back to Mrs. Claus and Mrs. Claus and say, Yeah, that's Robin. 

Robyn Burke 25:17
Wow. 

Santa Claus 25:18
Mrs. Claus is the one that remembers names and yells. Hermann is. 

Robyn Burke 25:22
Of Mrs. Claus. How did you meet Mrs. Claus? 

Santa Claus 25:26
Tinder? No. 

Robyn Burke 25:27
No. 

Santa Claus 25:30
The Christmas version. No misses. Oh, wow. This is cause we. 

Wendy Beck 25:40
Was she a beauty? 

Santa Claus 25:41
Oh. 

Wendy Beck 25:41
Probably still is. 

Santa Claus 25:43
She's a redhead. And we we. She met me when I was taken. I was delivering toys one year. 

Robyn Burke 25:52
There is a. 

Santa Claus 25:54
There is. 

Robyn Burke 25:55
Yes. 

Santa Claus 25:56
Oh, it's on sale. A channel. 

Robyn Burke 25:58
Yes. It's on this. 

Santa Claus 25:58
Oh, yeah. Here, come cynical or cynical, just come to town. 

Robyn Burke 26:02
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 26:02
Okay. 

Robyn Burke 26:03
Jessica. 

Wendy Beck 26:03
So that is true. That is that is the real deal. 

Santa Claus 26:06
Part 

Wendy Beck 26:07
Part 

Santa Claus 26:07
partly, 

Wendy Beck 26:07
of. 

Santa Claus 26:09
you know, because movies have to have some. 

Wendy Beck 26:12
Some drama and some. 

Santa Claus 26:13
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 26:14
Yeah. 

Santa Claus 26:15
Yeah, it's. 

Wendy Beck 26:15
Plot 

Santa Claus 26:15
It's partly. 

Wendy Beck 26:15
twists and all that kind of. 

Santa Claus 26:16
Partly true. 

Robyn Burke 26:18
Is Mrs. Claus as old as you? 

Santa Claus 26:20
Though. She's younger. Not much, but she's younger. 

Wendy Beck 26:25
Do you guys have any children of your own? 

Santa Claus 26:28
We considered it was our children and the reindeer. 

Robyn Burke 26:32
And the reindeer. 

Santa Claus 26:34
Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 26:35
Okay. 

Santa Claus 26:36
I mean. 

Robyn Burke 26:36
You have four babies. 

Santa Claus 26:38
Yes, some of the reindeer will come in and the polar bear and penguins, I mean, you know how a lot of people consider dogs their family? Well, it's the same with us up to the North Pole, you know, because we got I mean, there are thousands of reindeer up there. And same with the polar bears. 

Robyn Burke 26:57
So how do you pick the ones that you have? 

Santa Claus 27:01
Had I pick them For what? 

Robyn Burke 27:02
To be on your 

Wendy Beck 27:03
The. 

Robyn Burke 27:03
team. 

Santa Claus 27:04
Well, it's always the same. It's always the same year, honestly. 

Robyn Burke 27:07
You pick them hundreds of years ago. 

Santa Claus 27:09
Oh, yeah. Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 27:10
So they. They're immortal also. 

Santa Claus 27:11
Yeah, but the. But all the other. 

There's Fred calling Fred Fred the reindeer. He is funny. He comes in all the time and he'll actually lay by my bedside. 

Wendy Beck 27:27
Oh. 

Robyn Burke 27:27
Do any of the reindeer get jealous that they're not on your team? 

Santa Claus 27:31
No, they. They know they can't be. 

Robyn Burke 27:33
Oh, okay. 

Santa Claus 27:35
But technically they're still on the team, even though they don't help pull my sleeve. They all have to practice and be prepared to. Because if let's say, hmm, I'll send you know, I could mention names again, but a certain reindeer each too many carrots and can't get off the ground. He needs to buy. 

Wendy Beck 27:55
Understudy comes in. Yeah. 

Santa Claus 27:56
They need somebody to fill in for him. So. 

Wendy Beck 27:59
Here's a question. Have you. 

Robyn Burke 28:01
However. 

Wendy Beck 28:02
Been seen by a child. Did you ever. 

Robyn Burke 28:05
It's a good question. 

Wendy Beck 28:06
Have you ever had someone you know, like Cindy Lou who in the Grange? And she came in and crept in and saw Santa. 

Santa Claus 28:15
I'm sure there are some that have seen me. I mean, I of course I see them in there. They may be tricky and act like they're sleep and. 

Wendy Beck 28:24
My dad got a picture of you when I was little. 

Robyn Burke 28:27
Wow. 

Wendy Beck 28:28
Going out the door, saw the back of. Yeah. And I think my mom still has it somewhere. 

Santa Claus 28:32
Mm hmm. I remember things like this. Like I remember Rama was very excited. The one year that she got the dating game. 

Robyn Burke 28:42
Yes, I do remember that. I was very excited about that. 

Santa Claus 28:48
Although I understand you did get upset because one of the dates was not real and you were waiting for him to come to your house. 

Robyn Burke 28:56
I may have blocked that. 

Wendy Beck 29:03
Well, Do you remember anything that you got me when I was little? 

Santa Claus 29:08
There was a certain doll that you really liked. 

It wasn't Barbie. 

Wendy Beck 29:14
No. 

Santa Claus 29:15
It was. 

Wendy Beck 29:15
Holly Hobbie. 

Santa Claus 29:16
Holly Hobbie. 

Wendy Beck 29:17
Yeah, 

Santa Claus 29:17
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 29:17
I got the whole. 

Santa Claus 29:18
I was going to say Hobby Lobby, but that's a store. Yeah. Holly. 

Wendy Beck 29:21
Well, Mrs. Claus would have remembered. 

Robyn Burke 29:23
Yeah. 

Santa Claus 29:25
The Dears. 

I got to tell you a story. So I don't know if you know there's a place called Richardson Farms, and I go there a lot. They'll do, like at dinner with Santa. And I had a young boy 

came and sat on my lap and we talked for about 

5 minutes, I guess. 

And he was big, but he kept telling me what he was. So he said he wanted a tank. I said, A tank? He said, Yeah. I said, What kind of a tank? Sherman Was it a Sherman tank, not a Panzers? Yeah. I said, okay. I said, A real tank. He's like, Yeah. So anyways, we talked for a while and come to find out. I found out the following weekend when I went back there again. That is the first time that little boy had talked since his father had passed away. 

Robyn Burke 30:29
What? 

Santa Claus 30:29
And. And he got that tank. Not a real tank. He didn't get a real tank. 

Robyn Burke 30:34
Went off and put 

Santa Claus 30:35
But 

Robyn Burke 30:35
it. 

Santa Claus 30:35
he. He got. He got that tank. You got it. There's a lot of great stories. The kids are. 

Wendy Beck 30:41
No, we're probably not going to have enough time to drill into all of that, because I know that you're super busy this time of year. Will you eat Thanksgiving dinner with Mrs. Claus or. 

Santa Claus 30:51
Oh, yes. Yeah. Now we don't eat turkey. 

Wendy Beck 30:55
What do you eat? 

Robyn Burke 30:59
You don't eat the reindeer, do you? 

Santa Claus 31:01
No, we don't. We look weak. I it's hard for me to eat animals. So remember I told you I'm. 

Wendy Beck 31:08
And as a vegetarian. 

Santa Claus 31:09
Mrs. Claus puts me on a strict diet. Have you ever heard of Tofurkey? 

Wendy Beck 31:16
Yes. Made 

Santa Claus 31:17
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 31:17
of tofu. 

Santa Claus 31:18
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 31:18
Oh, Santa, I had no idea. 

Santa Claus 31:21
Yeah. I told you, she's got to keep me in town. I got to be in top physical shape and ready for Christmas. 

Robyn Burke 31:26
So do you lift weights and stuff? 

Santa Claus 31:28
Yes. I have to go around the world. I have to especially my cardio, my cardio, my heart rate has to be very good. 

Robyn Burke 31:36
How big is the bag on the sled to hold all these toys like? How does it even come off the ground with all these toys? 

Santa Claus 31:48
So there's. 

Robyn Burke 31:50
You don't go back to the North Pole like refuel your. 

Santa Claus 31:52
Have you have you seen movies who also like Star Trek was a movie where they would teleport. 

You ever see that? 

Wendy Beck 32:01
Star Trek first. 

Santa Claus 32:02
Okay, well, they're moving. Somebody could be here and you can teleport to somewhere else. You know what teleport means? 

Wendy Beck 32:10
Yeah. One place to another was. 

Santa Claus 32:11
Right. 

Robyn Burke 32:12
Magic. 

Santa Claus 32:12
Right. So that's how the toys and toys stay in my bag. So. 

Wendy Beck 32:18
So somebody is monitoring. 

Santa Claus 32:19
Yes. 

Robyn Burke 32:19
They're 

Santa Claus 32:20
The 

Robyn Burke 32:20
like. 

Santa Claus 32:20
elves. 

Robyn Burke 32:20
The snow globe, seeing where you are and then teleporting more toys in for. 

Santa Claus 32:26
Yes. 

Robyn Burke 32:26
Wow. 

Santa Claus 32:27
Yup. And on top of it because lot see some kids can be sneaky as well and think that they you know, they're naughty all year, but all of a sudden they do something nice. Then before they go to bed, they do something naughty again. So I know that before I get there. That's why it's important. If you would, you asked for. That's why it's important to stay nice all year long. 

Robyn Burke 32:54
Mm. 

Wendy Beck 32:55
Okay, Kindness wins. 

Santa Claus 32:58
Exactly. 

Wendy Beck 32:59
That's right. 

Santa Claus 33:00
See, That's why I used to get what you asked for for Christmas. 

Robyn Burke 33:03
Who keeps track of all the letters that come in. 

Santa Claus 33:06
Mrs. Claus. 

Wendy Beck 33:07
She probably has, like, a whole team, 

Robyn Burke 33:09
She has 

Wendy Beck 33:09
maybe 

Robyn Burke 33:09
to because. 

Wendy Beck 33:10
some volunteers. 

Santa Claus 33:10
Oh, she does 

Robyn Burke 33:11
Sounds like 

Santa Claus 33:11
a lot 

Robyn Burke 33:11
you. 

Santa Claus 33:11
of yells over. 

Robyn Burke 33:12
Sounds like you put an awful lot on Mrs. Claus. 

Wendy Beck 33:15
She's a woman. 

Robyn Burke 33:16
Well, that's true. She. 

Santa Claus 33:17
No, no. 

Robyn Burke 33:18
It all. 

Wendy Beck 33:18
She's here. Her raw. 

Robyn Burke 33:20
That's right. 

Santa Claus 33:21
So when Mrs. Claus and I met, she saw what I was doing. It was her idea, too, because at the time I was not delivering toys around the world. She came up with this idea about delivering toys to every kid throughout the world. 

Wendy Beck 33:36
Is is it a nonprofit? 

Santa Claus 33:44
I guess you could say that because I know I don't make any money. 

But no, we are not, as you would say, of five one, C three. We. It's a. 

Robyn Burke 33:55
What could be, you know, different roles for different countries. 

Santa Claus 33:59
Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 33:59
Lot 

Wendy Beck 33:59
Yeah, 

Robyn Burke 33:59
to keep track 

Wendy Beck 34:00
that's. 

Robyn Burke 34:00
of. 

Wendy Beck 34:00
That is. 

Santa Claus 34:01
In a way, I. 

Wendy Beck 34:02
We don't have to get into the business 

Robyn Burke 34:03
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 34:04
side of. 

Santa Claus 34:04
Good because I may get in trouble because we paid deals of cookies, not you. You know other things as well. 

Robyn Burke 34:13
Candy canes for a time and a half. 

Santa Claus 34:15
Can't the reindeer love the candy cane? 

Yes. Reindeer really love candy. 

So do I. But again, I can only eat them when I'm flying around the world. Gives me 

Wendy Beck 34:31
Well, this has been such a surprise, Santa, for you to come. I can't wait to tell Rich. 

Robyn Burke 34:35
I can't either. He's. He's not going to believe it. 

Santa Claus 34:40
Oh, I'm sure he'll believe it. No, he won't. 

Wendy Beck 34:43
He won't believe. He'll think we made this up. 

Robyn Burke 34:45
Yes, he will. 

Santa Claus 34:46
Well, that would put him on the naughty list and. If you guys. Especially his own sister. 

Robyn Burke 34:53
That would be nothing new. 

Santa Claus 34:55
You know what I think? If he doesn't believe you, then the show would magically become conversations with Wendy. 

Wendy Beck 35:05
That's right. 

Robyn Burke 35:05
That's. 

Wendy Beck 35:05
Oh, that's what I want for Christmas. 

Robyn Burke 35:08
There you go. 

Santa Claus 35:13
Tell Rich I said hi and to stay. Make sure he stays or gets on the nice list. 

Wendy Beck 35:20
Thanks, Santa. 

Robyn Burke 35:21
Thank 

Santa Claus 35:21
Tuesday 

Robyn Burke 35:21
you. 

Santa Claus 35:22
on the. 

Wendy Beck 35:23
Yes. 

Robyn Burke 35:23
Always, always 

Wendy Beck 35:24
Yes. 

Robyn Burke 35:25
easy for us. 

Santa Claus 35:26
But, Robin, I have a challenge for you. I want you to climb that nice list. I want you to get past Junior. 

Robyn Burke 35:33
Oh. 

Santa Claus 35:34
Just like. Like on the top. 

Robyn Burke 35:39
He must not be shown in your cloak. Very well. 

Santa Claus 35:42
See it sings another. I'm glad you mention that. So here's something that a lot of kids don't realize when they come up to me and say that their sister, brother or friend has been naughty. 

Wendy Beck 35:56
Do they do that? Do 

Santa Claus 35:57
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 35:57
they tattle on each other? 

Santa Claus 35:58
And that is being naughty. 

Robyn Burke 36:00
Oh. 

Santa Claus 36:02
Tatlin is. 

Wendy Beck 36:02
They need to stay in their own lane. 

Santa Claus 36:04
As I can see when kids. 

Robyn Burke 36:05
I've always been a tattletale, Sienna. I 

Santa Claus 36:07
I know, 

Robyn Burke 36:08
always 

Santa Claus 36:08
I 

Robyn Burke 36:08
since. 

Santa Claus 36:08
know. Oh, I know. You and your younger brother, Sean. 

Robyn Burke 36:12
Me more than Sean, because I. 

Santa Claus 36:14
I don't know. 

Robyn Burke 36:15
I love Talisman LeBron. 

Santa Claus 36:16
Oh, and believe me, Santa remembers a lot of the things you did to Sean, Like dressing him up as a girl when he was a baby. 

Robyn Burke 36:23
I'm sorry. I wanted a sister. 

Santa Claus 36:24
I know. 

You didn't get what you asked for that You're either, did you? 

Robyn Burke 36:33
No, I guess I didn't 

Santa Claus 36:35
Yeah, sure. Did I become your younger sister? 

Robyn Burke 36:38
know. 

Santa Claus 36:38
Because that's what you asked for for that year. 

Robyn Burke 36:40
Yes. Yes. Yes. 

Santa Claus 36:44
Well. Wendy, Robin, thank you so much. And tell Rich I said hi. 

Wendy Beck 36:47
We will. 

Robyn Burke 36:48
We will. Thank you. Thanks, Hannah. 

Wendy Beck 36:59
Some of the Christmas traditions, you know, evolve over the years as you have, you know, young children and then 

Robyn Burke 37:04
Right. 

Wendy Beck 37:05
as they leave the nest and their home, empty nesters, you bring in your grandchildren. Oh. 

Robyn Burke 37:11
Heybridge. 

Wendy Beck 37:12
Hi. What are you doing here? 

Robyn Burke 37:14
Um. Cause I had to come up here to get some 

Rich Bennett 37:16
From 

Robyn Burke 37:16
things 

Rich Bennett 37:16
things 

Robyn Burke 37:17
done. 

Rich Bennett 37:17
done from commercials. 

Wendy Beck 37:18
Well. 

Robyn Burke 37:19
Thought you were here in, like, two. 

Rich Bennett 37:20
Tuesdays? No, I come up here almost all the time on. 

Robyn Burke 37:24
Oh. 

Wendy Beck 37:26
Well, we just had a special guest that. 

Rich Bennett 37:29
We had a special guest. 

Robyn Burke 37:31
Well. 

Rich Bennett 37:31
When they say you are taking over the pocket. 

Wendy Beck 37:33
Well, no, we we kind of decided that we were going to 

Robyn Burke 37:36
Surprise. 

Wendy Beck 37:36
talk about some Christmas traditions and we had a special guest show up. 

Rich Bennett 37:41
I have a good tradition. 

Wendy Beck 37:43
What? 

Rich Bennett 37:45
Every well, every Christmas Eve, we pull out the luminaires. Which is the. Bags with the candles in them. 

Robyn Burke 37:53
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 37:54
My court. We do it in memory of somebody. 

Wendy Beck 37:57
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 37:58
But. 

Wendy Beck 37:58
Well, we didn't even think of that one, Rob. 

Robyn Burke 37:59
Now. We didn't. 

Rich Bennett 38:01
There. Everybody in the court gets together and. 

Wendy Beck 38:02
So you're not mad that we're here doing this? 

Rich Bennett 38:07
You. So you were 

Robyn Burke 38:09
We were going to surprise you 

Rich Bennett 38:10
with 

Robyn Burke 38:10
with 

Rich Bennett 38:10
one. 

Robyn Burke 38:11
a podcast of Christmas traditions. 

Wendy Beck 38:14
And then someone showed up. 

Robyn Burke 38:15
Then someone showed up. 

Rich Bennett 38:17
How. 

Robyn Burke 38:17
That we didn't know. 

Rich Bennett 38:18
Hold up. How are you going to surprise me when I'm the one that does the editing? 

Wendy Beck 38:22
Well, 

Robyn Burke 38:23
We weren't going to. 

Wendy Beck 38:23
we didn't get that far. We didn't think about. 

Robyn Burke 38:25
We're so good we didn't need. 

Wendy Beck 38:27
Yeah, right. 

Rich Bennett 38:28
We meet. Surprise guest. 

Wendy Beck 38:30
Santa is here. 

Rich Bennett 38:31
Okay. Right. 

Robyn Burke 38:32
No, seriously. He showed up. 

Rich Bennett 38:34
Yeah, I just walked in here. There is nobody, 

Wendy Beck 38:36
He just left. 

Rich Bennett 38:37
nobody at. 

Wendy Beck 38:37
He just left. 

Robyn Burke 38:38
They just left. 

Rich Bennett 38:39
There's nobody out there. I just walked in. 

Robyn Burke 38:41
I guess. I don't know. 

Wendy Beck 38:42
Well, when you edit this, 

Robyn Burke 38:44
You'll 

Wendy Beck 38:44
you're 

Robyn Burke 38:44
hear. 

Wendy Beck 38:45
going to hear it. 

Rich Bennett 38:47
Okay. Right. 

Wendy Beck 38:48
And it's really it's cool because we know your passion for being Santa. And so we now we can kind of talk to you about your journey. 

Rich Bennett 38:58
Oh, wait. So you guys planned this already? 

Wendy Beck 39:00
Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 39:02
Well, we didn't. 

Rich Bennett 39:02
You know, if I was coming up 

Robyn Burke 39:03
We didn't know you were coming up. 

Wendy Beck 39:05
We. About you, but. 

Robyn Burke 39:06
We were just talking about traditions and favorite movies and stuff like that. And then Santa came in and so we asked him all these questions that we were like talking about a wonder what Santa thinks of this and that we didn't know you were coming, but since you're here. 

Wendy Beck 39:21
Let's talk about your journey 

Robyn Burke 39:22
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 39:23
as Santa. 

Rich Bennett 39:24
Oh, okay. 

Wendy Beck 39:25
Do you mind? Do you want to talk about it? 

Rich Bennett 39:28
This feels weird. 

Wendy Beck 39:29
Why? 

Rich Bennett 39:30
Because I'm not used to being interviewed. 

Robyn Burke 39:32
Well. 

Wendy Beck 39:33
Well, welcome to the Rich Bennett Show. 

Rich Bennett 39:38
See you got it wrong already. It's not the Rich Bennett show. It's coverage. 

Wendy Beck 39:42
Conversations. 

Rich Bennett 39:43
With Wendy. 

Wendy Beck 39:43
Bennett. 

Rich Bennett 39:45
With one day. 

Wendy Beck 39:46
Well, I don't really know how you started becoming Santa. Well, I know a little bit. It was your brother was doing it, and then you 

Rich Bennett 39:54
So. 

Wendy Beck 39:54
were. 

Rich Bennett 39:55
Yeah. So. Scuse me. So my my brother T-Bone, he and I were both in the alliance. Were you in the Lions Club yet? 

Robyn Burke 40:03
I. I think I. 

Rich Bennett 40:05
When 

Robyn Burke 40:05
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 40:05
when Bowen did Santa Claus the first 

Robyn Burke 40:07
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 40:07
time at John Archer. 

Robyn Burke 40:08
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 40:09
Okay. So John Archer, which I forget the name of the school now, which is a school in the county for kids of different abilities. Um, see, we, they always had a Christmas pageant show or whatever, 

and our Lions Club always provided Santa. 

Before you get to that, let me tell you why Tebow decided to do it. So we had a cousin with Down's syndrome, Robin. Remember the Special Olympics? We would always she'd be in Special Olympics. We'd be out. So we were all we always wanted to do something like that. 

So when a guy that was originally doing Santa for the Lions Club was no longer here, we needed somebody. So I suggested Terry's suggested T-Bone. So I drove T-Bone up there and he's sitting there and all these kids are coming and sitting on his lap. What did he want for Christmas at all? And we were there couple hours, I guess, and we were as we were leaving. Now, my brother had glasses. He's got one eye. She had a glass eye. So as we're leaving, I saved me a bone. I said, You did really good, man. It wasn't cool. I said, What do you mean? I said, It was awesome. The kids loved you. No, man. No, it wasn't cool. I can't do it yet. I'll say, Why wasn't. Cause it wasn't cool about it. He said the kids shouldn't see, seeing or crying. 

And I thought that was T-Bone calling. 

But you say the kitchen. The kitchen, because he my brother was bad ass, but he was a teddy bear at the same time. And he was crying. So. So maybe this 

Wendy Beck 42:11
Forum. 

Rich Bennett 42:11
is a me being as smart as I am. I was like, we crying at the good high or the bad. 

Wendy Beck 42:16
Oh. 

Rich Bennett 42:18
So afterwards he he went to do John Archer anymore. So I started doing. But we always did a breakfast of Santo and T-Bone would always be Santo for that. And then he, after a while he couldn't do it anymore. So it was messed up. And also I started doing it. I always had a goal to be as good. As Jim Messina. I knew I would never be better but as good. All the years he did it, he only had one key cry. And people, parents would bring their kids to our breakfast to see in the Lions Club because instead of taking the kids, AC said Yes, because he said the kids would never cry with Tebow. And then he got the nickname during Christmas time as Santa Bear. And the one year I'll never forget the one year he was it was snowing out. So he went, This is before the schools. We closed for the weekend because snow was in for case. So he was driving throughout town on his Harley dressed as Santa to attract people to come in. So then, yeah, so then when he couldn't do it anymore, I started doing it. 

Wendy Beck 43:36
And how long have you been playing Being Santa? 

Rich Bennett 43:38
Oh, good Lord. 

Robyn Burke 43:40
Well, it was just for the Lions Club 

Rich Bennett 43:43
It's 

Robyn Burke 43:43
and. 

Rich Bennett 43:43
just sort of like. 

Robyn Burke 43:44
Archer. And then. 

Rich Bennett 43:45
John Archer. They are public schools. You couldn't do a Christmas thing anymore. 

Robyn Burke 43:50
Right. And then. 

Rich Bennett 43:51
Club. And then. 

Robyn Burke 43:51
Richardson's and. 

Rich Bennett 43:53
Well now. 

Robyn Burke 43:54
And my house and private parties. You started, what, six years ago? 

Rich Bennett 43:59
It was before COVID. 

Robyn Burke 44:01
Yeah, I want to say like six years ago. And how that started was I joke cookies with Santa every year. And we started that because. My grand children. You know, they 

Wendy Beck 44:15
They're 

Robyn Burke 44:15
are 

Wendy Beck 44:15
this 

Robyn Burke 44:15
this family. 

Wendy Beck 44:16
family 

Robyn Burke 44:16
They. 

Wendy Beck 44:16
they have. 

Robyn Burke 44:17
And I forget which one of them, uh, succumbed to them all, and they started screaming bloody murder. And but, you know, you think about it, they only see Santa once a year. 

Wendy Beck 44:29
He's a stranger. 

Rich Bennett 44:30
Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 44:30
Stranger danger going on. And here your mom's plopping him on the lap and. 

Wendy Beck 44:35
Mm hmm. 

Robyn Burke 44:36
But still it's vital. I take a picture and the kids are scared to death. So I do cookies with Santa. Santa comes every year and he sits in the living room and he's there for a couple hours. So the really little kids. 

Wendy Beck 44:51
Feel comfortable. 

Robyn Burke 44:52
They feel comfortable after a while, you know, they might walk in and peek in the living room and run away and then come back. But by the time they leave and he's 

Rich Bennett 45:00
Read 

Robyn Burke 45:00
read a 

Rich Bennett 45:00
a story. 

Robyn Burke 45:00
story to all of them, they all love him. So. 

Rich Bennett 45:03
Yeah, but you know who has the most fun there besides me? It's the mothers. The mothers always have to get their picture taken with saying and wouldn't. 

Robyn Burke 45:12
I think you enjoy that, Patel. 

Rich Bennett 45:14
Yeah. Are you done? 

Wendy Beck 45:18
Well, okay, so, you know, since I've known you, you've been, you know, bearded rich for your Santa journey and you start growing your beard in. 

Rich Bennett 45:27
June 1st. 

Wendy Beck 45:28
June 1st. I was going to say July. Okay, June 1st. So you are ready for this transition And now we're on we're days as is. Twas the day before, days before Thanksgiving, and you've got your Santa's beard and like, is there like, do you belong to any kind of like, Santa organization? 

Rich Bennett 45:47
Not yet. 

Wendy Beck 45:48
Thing like that. 

Robyn Burke 45:49
But there are 

Rich Bennett 45:50
There are. 

Robyn Burke 45:50
they're out 

Rich Bennett 45:50
There 

Robyn Burke 45:51
there. 

Rich Bennett 45:51
are some out there. Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 45:52
There's actually a Santa Clause University. 

Rich Bennett 45:54
Yes. 

Robyn Burke 45:55
In Michigan. 

Rich Bennett 45:55
Yeah, 

Wendy Beck 45:56
What 

Rich Bennett 45:56
because. 

Wendy Beck 45:56
is that about? 

Rich Bennett 45:57
Well, actually, yeah, because I was 

recommended to go to the University of Siena College, which handles I think they, they handle the, the all the Santa Clauses in the malls. 

Robyn Burke 46:11
Well and. 

Rich Bennett 46:11
Or a majority of them, right? 

Robyn Burke 46:13
And a lot of other. 

Rich Bennett 46:14
But I found out that. 

Robyn Burke 46:16
I think it's a week long school. 

Rich Bennett 46:18
Something like that. I can't remember. 

Wendy Beck 46:20
What 

Rich Bennett 46:20
And 

Wendy Beck 46:20
do you 

Rich Bennett 46:20
you get. 

Wendy Beck 46:20
what do they teach you? 

Rich Bennett 46:22
To be Santa. 

Robyn Burke 46:22
How to. How to how. 

Rich Bennett 46:24
Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 46:25
Not to say. 

Wendy Beck 46:26
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 46:27
Yeah, but I found that. That. I wouldn't if I did it, I would not be able to volunteer. And I like volunteering as well. 

Robyn Burke 46:37
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 46:38
Now, grant it. Thanks to Rob, that being my age, it's. 

Wendy Beck 46:42
Oh, I didn't know that. Okay. 

Rich Bennett 46:43
I mean, there are I mean, there's paid events that I. 

Wendy Beck 46:46
What does that mean? You just get the gig. 

Robyn Burke 46:48
I. Yeah. I get the 

Rich Bennett 46:50
Book. 

Robyn Burke 46:50
gig I keep track of. 

Wendy Beck 46:51
His calendar 

Robyn Burke 46:52
What 

Wendy Beck 46:52
and that. 

Robyn Burke 46:52
has Caroline. 

Rich Bennett 46:53
Yeah. Because it's, it's. It's expensive. B and C and. 

Wendy Beck 46:59
Why? 

Rich Bennett 46:59
A lot of people don't realize that this Well, I mean, you can go and get those cheap $30 suits, but 

Robyn Burke 47:05
Or 

Rich Bennett 47:05
they 

Robyn Burke 47:05
you 

Rich Bennett 47:05
don't 

Robyn Burke 47:05
can 

Rich Bennett 47:05
let. 

Robyn Burke 47:05
get a good suit 

Rich Bennett 47:06
Yeah. So. Yeah, 

Robyn Burke 47:08
and. 

Rich Bennett 47:08
my. 

Wendy Beck 47:09
One, you probably need to have like, photographs, like, you know, like, what is it called? 

Rich Bennett 47:15
Like. 

Wendy Beck 47:15
Yeah. Like headshots. Yeah, that's it. 

Rich Bennett 47:18
Now. I haven't done that. 

Wendy Beck 47:19
Oh, okay. 

Rich Bennett 47:19
Um, but no, I mean the dry cleaning at all. You. You have to have more than one suit. Especially if somebody wants to do the pitch. 

Pet pictures with Santa. 

Wendy Beck 47:34
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 47:36
Well, he just said, I've never had and then I haven't done those yet. I've never had a knock on wood. A kid go to the bathroom on me. 

Wendy Beck 47:45
Oh, God. 

Robyn Burke 47:46
That you know of. 

Rich Bennett 47:46
There are no but dogs. Dogs. Kids wear diapers. Dogs don't. 

Wendy Beck 47:50
Right. 

Rich Bennett 47:52
There have been a lot of scenes where, yeah, the dogs or dogs get nervous, dopey. 

Wendy Beck 47:58
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 47:59
Or. 

Wendy Beck 48:00
I didn't really. 

Robyn Burke 48:00
So you've got to have a couple suits and you've got to have a really. 

Wendy Beck 48:03
You have the beard. 

Rich Bennett 48:04
Had a beard. 

Wendy Beck 48:05
Your suits now. What else? 

Rich Bennett 48:09
Dry cleaning. 

Wendy Beck 48:09
Dry cleaning. 

Rich Bennett 48:11
I was getting my hair. 

Robyn Burke 48:12
Bleached out. 

Rich Bennett 48:13
Bleach debris on my head. I'm not doing that anymore this year. 

Wendy Beck 48:17
Because it's already that color. 

Rich Bennett 48:18
No, it's not that cut. No. 

Robyn Burke 48:20
It is the age. With the age 

Rich Bennett 48:22
No, it's 

Robyn Burke 48:22
comes 

Rich Bennett 48:22
not. 

Robyn Burke 48:23
the white. 

Rich Bennett 48:24
So Arctic Blonde and 

Wendy Beck 48:25
Article. 

Rich Bennett 48:26
its salt and pepper. 

Wendy Beck 48:27
That's all I'm going to say. Mine is when I get. 

Robyn Burke 48:29
Mine's tinsel. 

Rich Bennett 48:31
But now move my hat. You. You don't see the hair on my head a lot. 

Wendy Beck 48:34
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 48:35
So. And the beard? All ages. Beard oil. I mean, that's the other expense. You can't use regular soap or shampoo or conditioner in your beard. It's it's it's the soaps are different. 

Wendy Beck 48:49
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 48:50
So I got to use the beard wash beard conditioner. This year I've tried something different with the handlebar mustache. Yeah. So I got. You know, you didn't lose your ass for Thanksgiving. I had it curled up. 

Robyn Burke 49:02
Well, I noticed it, but I just thought you were being stupid. 

Wendy Beck 49:07
Sibling love. 

Robyn Burke 49:09
I would imagine you also need to use like body wash that's not perfumed or. 

Rich Bennett 49:15
Well. 

Robyn Burke 49:16
But because of the sensitivity. 

Rich Bennett 49:18
Oh, you know it. No, I never. Oh, no, I never thought about that, because I just. This year, I finally found a scent that I like for Christmas. It's like sugar. 

Robyn Burke 49:27
I was just thinking. 

Rich Bennett 49:28
A sugar cookie and. 

Wendy Beck 49:29
You know what? One of my favorite Christmas scenes in a movie is? And I don't even know what is it? Is it Elf or he says, You are not Santa. You smell like meat and cheese. 

Rich Bennett 49:44
Well. 

Wendy Beck 49:44
Do you remember that scene? 

Robyn Burke 49:45
That is. 

Wendy Beck 49:45
I love that. That's hilarious. 

Rich Bennett 49:47
Funny thing is, and I'm not going to mention names here because there are a lot of people out there that do say and there's different types of Centacare doctors and I can get into that. But there are some out there that will smell like bourbon. 

Wendy Beck 50:03
Well. 

Rich Bennett 50:05
Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 50:05
Yeah. Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 50:07
I'm not surprised. 

Rich Bennett 50:07
Well, when my brother was doing it. Times. 

Robyn Burke 50:12
I'd like beer. 

Rich Bennett 50:12
No, no. He never did drink when he was doing scene. But you could smell the cigarettes. She would always. 

Wendy Beck 50:18
Well. And I think that they probably teach you what not to do at this. 

Rich Bennett 50:22
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 50:22
Goal. 

Rich Bennett 50:23
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 50:24
Santa College. 

Rich Bennett 50:25
Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 50:26
And 

Rich Bennett 50:26
So. 

Robyn Burke 50:26
there's years like this when there's only, what, three weekends? 

Wendy Beck 50:32
Oh, because 

Rich Bennett 50:32
There's 

Wendy Beck 50:32
a. 

Rich Bennett 50:32
a short year. 

Robyn Burke 50:33
This is a short ear. So we had to cut back on a lot of the things that he would have normally done because there's just not enough 

Wendy Beck 50:41
Time. 

Robyn Burke 50:41
time. And I mean, there's several days where you're double booked. 

Rich Bennett 50:45
Double booked. And plus I do zoom calls 

Wendy Beck 50:48
So. 

Rich Bennett 50:48
and I even changed a Zoom call. So COVID was my best year. Which sounds weird. Um, and what happened that year? Because my old neighbor, our next door neighbor, their granddaughter, swore up and down and saying, Close, you lived next door. And she we would do the Lions Club with you at breakfast, the Santa. And she would come and see me. Well, covert, we couldn't do that because everything was shut down. So my next door neighbor had the idea, said, What if I build a workshop because she lived on the corner and people can drive by and see Santa? Or we can socially distance if you're fine. Then they come up and that was the first year I did Richardson's was the year of COVID 

because I've never been set up inside of Richardson. Santa was always inside, wasn't he? In the greenhouse? And he was always breakfast saying. 

Robyn Burke 51:43
Was that the year? 

Rich Bennett 51:44
Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 51:44
We moved. 

Rich Bennett 51:45
Yeah. So. 

Robyn Burke 51:46
Ernie went. 

Rich Bennett 51:47
Yep. Yeah. So I'll be. 

Robyn Burke 51:50
So. 

Rich Bennett 51:51
So she built as she could. Her husband said, You cannot buy anything. She got everything donated, built a workshop. And. It was two nights, I think turned into three nights. Jimmy Seafood was out there. They had their seafood truck, the kids lined up, going around the street and all. 

Wendy Beck 52:11
No. 

Rich Bennett 52:12
Drive bys. Richardson's turned it into dinner, was seen as a destroyer, was open, and Santa was outside. So I was able to still see kids for that. And I did zoom calls with kids throughout the country. And to this day, I think that's still the year that's the most kids I ever seen. And that was the best present for me that year because I was upset that kids weren't going to be kids going to see Santa. No matter what 

Robyn Burke 52:40
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 52:41
they said. Yeah, they did. That was. That 

Wendy Beck 52:44
That's 

Rich Bennett 52:44
was. 

Wendy Beck 52:44
cool. So you've been doing it. You don't really you don't know how long you've been doing it. Are you going to continue to do it for as long as you can? It's 

Rich Bennett 52:51
Oh, 

Wendy Beck 52:51
a. 

Rich Bennett 52:51
yeah. 

Wendy Beck 52:52
You will just be a part of it if you. 

Rich Bennett 52:54
Oh, yeah, I love doing it. I just love making the kids happy. Here in the stores and everything, and not just the kids, adults, when we did that thing on the corner had two guys, probably £600 total, and they wanted to get their picture taken with me. Sure. So they tried to get behind me, but they couldn't. I said, Oh, no, sir, I don't care how old you are. I got two legs sit on my lap. They looked to me like he Sure. I was like, Yeah. So they sat on my lap. It's a picture they won't forget. 

Robyn Burke 53:27
Well, who? 

Rich Bennett 53:28
Thank God I was close. Thank God I lived next door because when I got up, my legs were like rubber. 

Robyn Burke 53:34
Do you have any idea growing up that you would be on so many mantles and people's home, 

Rich Bennett 53:38
No. Yeah. As a kid. 

Robyn Burke 53:41
so many mantle? 

Rich Bennett 53:41
As a kid. You believe in Santa, then you don't believe. And then you're arguing, you know. But the thing is, it's. Hmm. I love doing it. And I love doing it to the see the smile on the kids faces. And that's why I also do names like we do a Pizza with Santa, a support team mayor every year, 

Robyn Burke 54:05
Right. 

Rich Bennett 54:05
and we don't charge for that. And pep a the owner of support Mayor all the kids that come in get a free pizza and free soda. But it's just us giving back it it's unfortunately there are some out there that do it as a unit and they do it strictly for the money. 

Robyn Burke 54:25
We also learned young Our father played Santa. And so, you know, we've always grown up in a civic minded community and, you know, in a family. 

Rich Bennett 54:35
Well, we always grew up being taught to give back. 

Robyn Burke 54:38
Right. So. 

Rich Bennett 54:39
So. And no matter what. I mean, Dad was always there. And your mom. 

Robyn Burke 54:44
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 54:45
How grown up we were in scouts and everything, 

Robyn Burke 54:47
right. 

Rich Bennett 54:48
you know. Um, but the thing is, with a lot I mean, I love doing it, but people don't realize. 

Everybody's. Well, not everybody, because you here. All right. I got my heart broken last year. 

My cousins who live in England for years, I would call Georgie as Santa Claus. Well, I'll call you out on this, Riley. So last year, they posted a video because Riley her. 

Robyn Burke 55:22
The other cousin. 

Rich Bennett 55:23
Other cousin told Georgie that Santa wasn't real. Georgia was ball of light. All the. But here's the thing. Cena, Israel. 

There's the character and there's center. There are a lot of seniors out there and I'm not saying me dressing up as Santa. People like yourself, like Robin, Danny McGee, Joel or these people are true centers. 

Wendy Beck 55:51
In their hearts. 

Rich Bennett 55:52
Yes. And every year, I mean, they give that threat some. Yeah, well, you get that throughout the year. Both of you do. But like Danny and Joe, they get all these toys, give 

Robyn Burke 56:02
Given. 

Rich Bennett 56:02
them to Danny's taking toys down to the kids in North Carolina that were devastated by. 

Robyn Burke 56:08
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 56:09
I mean, it's that's a that's a Santa clause. So you can never say Santa Claus is not real. 

Wendy Beck 56:15
So it's 

Rich Bennett 56:15
He. 

Wendy Beck 56:15
not one costume. costume. 

Rich Bennett 56:16
It's 

Wendy Beck 56:17
It's 

Rich Bennett 56:17
it's 

Wendy Beck 56:18
it's 

Rich Bennett 56:18
the. 

Wendy Beck 56:18
something 

Rich Bennett 56:19
I 

Wendy Beck 56:19
that. 

Rich Bennett 56:19
think it's. 

Robyn Burke 56:19
It's in your heart. It's in 

Rich Bennett 56:20
In 

Robyn Burke 56:20
your. 

Rich Bennett 56:20
your heart. It's more than just a character. It's 

it's a movement that's been going on for years 

Wendy Beck 56:29
I 

Rich Bennett 56:29
and 

Wendy Beck 56:29
like that. 

Rich Bennett 56:29
will never. 

Wendy Beck 56:29
It's a movement. I think that, you know, because I know that, you know, as you get older, you know, your kids grow up and. Kind of like Lou. 

Rich Bennett 56:39
Is that? 

Wendy Beck 56:40
Phase in your life. But if you put it in that perspective, you don't have to stop giving just because your kids have outgrown Santa Claus. 

Rich Bennett 56:48
Right. 

Wendy Beck 56:49
Join the movement. I love it. 

Rich Bennett 56:51
I mean, as I got older, I didn't believe. But then I realized it's like, especially when I started being seen or playing Xena, that yeah, it's. You're all. There's always a saying and no matter what. That's true. Although I gotta admit, I still am. Every year I ask for the same thing and still haven't 

Robyn Burke 57:12
Gun. 

Rich Bennett 57:12
gotten it. But, you know. So apparently I've been on 

Robyn Burke 57:15
English 

Rich Bennett 57:15
that naughty 

Robyn Burke 57:16
Bulldog. 

Rich Bennett 57:16
list. Yes. An English. 

Wendy Beck 57:18
Oh. 

Rich Bennett 57:20
Well 

Wendy Beck 57:20
Well, 

Rich Bennett 57:20
started 

Wendy Beck 57:21
you 

Rich Bennett 57:21
as. 

Wendy Beck 57:21
know, when we were talking to Santa. When we were. We were just. 

Robyn Burke 57:25
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 57:26
He verified that I was on the naughty list. 

Wendy Beck 57:28
No, he said that he agreed that maybe you're just not ready for that yet. So when you're ready, I'm sure that that will be something that you get. 

Robyn Burke 57:37
He also said that, you know, it takes permission. 

Wendy Beck 57:40
Oh, yeah? Yeah. Your parents. 

Rich Bennett 57:42
Well, he's going to have a hard time getting permission for mom and dad. 

Wendy Beck 57:46
Well. 

Robyn Burke 57:46
Why? 

Wendy Beck 57:47
From your wire. 

Rich Bennett 57:47
Never going to get permission from her for me to get 

Robyn Burke 57:49
Why 

Rich Bennett 57:49
it 

Robyn Burke 57:49
you 

Rich Bennett 57:49
done. 

Robyn Burke 57:50
don't have one yet. 

Wendy Beck 57:52
Sorry. 

Robyn Burke 57:52
There's a saying about something about I was trying to look it up. Christmas not about Christmas in your heart. It's like I can't find it. Uh, 

can have Christmas in your home if you don't have Christmas in your heart. 

Rich Bennett 58:07
Ooh, I like that. Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 58:10
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 58:12
It's. 

Wendy Beck 58:12
It is a special time of year. You know, it really is. 

Rich Bennett 58:15
Mm. 

Wendy Beck 58:16
We're so grateful that you do this. And, you know, it's. 

Rich Bennett 58:20
Well, somebody that you know is on my list, and it ain't a nice list because they never brought their kid to see me yet. 

Wendy Beck 58:32
Okay, Well, that's. You'll have to take. 

Rich Bennett 58:33
Rachel. 

Wendy Beck 58:35
You have to take that up with her. 

Rich Bennett 58:38
But I. 

Robyn Burke 58:40
Do you find people are kinder? I mean, I think people are kinder. 

Rich Bennett 58:43
During the holidays. 

Robyn Burke 58:44
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 58:44
Oh, yeah. 

Robyn Burke 58:46
Yes. And I think that's why I love Christmas so much. It's like. You know. 

Wendy Beck 58:49
It's an opportunity to give. 

Robyn Burke 58:50
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 58:51
The funny thing is. 

Robyn Burke 58:52
Or nicer. And they're kinder and. 

Rich Bennett 58:54
But the funny thing is, yeah, you're especially adults, but there are, there are a lot of kids that are. Like when it comes this time of the year are just nasty. Don't tell. And I've seen this happen. And when I'm being seen somewhere and they'll sit there and tell the other kids, Oh, he's not real. 

Robyn Burke 59:13
Oh, yes, I've. We've seen that at our cookies with Santa. 

Wendy Beck 59:16
I remember not wasn't a bad thing. But my brother, he would be so excited for Santa Claus to come. 

Rich Bennett 59:22
Mm. 

Wendy Beck 59:23
That he would get sick every year on. 

Robyn Burke 59:26
Because they were so excited. So a lot of kids do. 

Wendy Beck 59:28
Yeah. So he or they would get real bad. 

Rich Bennett 59:31
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 59:32
Because they're so excited and they don't know how to get rid of that energy. 

Robyn Burke 59:35
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 59:35
So. 

Robyn Burke 59:36
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 59:36
So if not all naughty needs to be on the naughty. 

Rich Bennett 59:39
No, I love it when I'm like, if I'm out in town or whatever. Uh, because like, little kids, especially when I'm growing a beard and they're like, Santa, what are you doing here? 

Robyn Burke 59:52
Right. Well, you have a lot of fun with it. 

Rich Bennett 59:55
I do. 

Wendy Beck 59:56
Yeah, I think that that's what makes it successful for you. 

Robyn Burke 59:59
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:00
I have a blast. And the other thing that I had not to crack on the mall scene is or some other scene is somewhere 

I I'm not going to rush a kid when he comes to sit on my lap and talk to me. I'm not going to rush your mail. They can sit there as long as they want. When I do Richardson Farms, there's I got to laugh because there's a group of kids, especially this one little girl. She's like, Oh, he's coming back right now to my lap. 

Wendy Beck 1:00:33
All. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:33
Run it up TV. 

Wendy Beck 1:00:34
Is it more of like a free thing, or do they have like not free money wise? I'm talking like they can come up and talk to you and then go sit back down and come on. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:43
Oh, yeah, 

Robyn Burke 1:00:43
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:44
yeah, 

Robyn Burke 1:00:44
So they have a wonderful. Well, they have a dinner with Santa, but then they also have breakfast for dinner with Santa 

Rich Bennett 1:00:50
yeah. 

Robyn Burke 1:00:51
and. 

Wendy Beck 1:00:51
No, that's. 

Robyn Burke 1:00:52
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 1:00:53
Like pancakes and stuff. 

Robyn Burke 1:00:54
Pancakes and French toast. 

Wendy Beck 1:00:55
Gotcha. 

Robyn Burke 1:00:56
You know, omelet stations and all that kind of stuff. And then he's in his. 

Wendy Beck 1:01:02
Sanitaire. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:02
My suit is. 

Robyn Burke 1:01:04
Well, the thing. 

Wendy Beck 1:01:05
Oh. House. 

Robyn Burke 1:01:06
Like 

Wendy Beck 1:01:06
Okay. 

Robyn Burke 1:01:06
a Zebo thing. 

Wendy Beck 1:01:07
Gotcha. 

Robyn Burke 1:01:07
And so they can go up and come back as many times as that was. You know, a lot of times the parents will take the kids up and they're not they're not having it. The kids aren't having 

Rich Bennett 1:01:16
But. 

Robyn Burke 1:01:16
it. But again, by the end of the. 

Wendy Beck 1:01:19
Evening or. 

Robyn Burke 1:01:19
Then 

Wendy Beck 1:01:19
Yeah. 

Robyn Burke 1:01:20
there the. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:20
But what I also do is I'll I'll go throughout. And walk around as the kids are sitting there eating 

Robyn Burke 1:01:27
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:28
and talk to them and. 

Robyn Burke 1:01:29
It's a it's a great event. It really 

Rich Bennett 1:01:31
And every year they've had children's authors come and read. So as Diane Richardson, if I could bring you authors this year 

Wendy Beck 1:01:39
That's I can can I ask when it is and is it 

Rich Bennett 1:01:42
always. 

Wendy Beck 1:01:42
is it by ticket sales or is 

Robyn Burke 1:01:44
Yes, 

Wendy Beck 1:01:44
it. 

Robyn Burke 1:01:44
it is. And it is. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:47
It's always the first Friday, Saturday and second Friday and Saturday of December. 

Wendy Beck 1:01:51
Okay. 

Robyn Burke 1:01:52
It's December. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:53
Clock. 

Robyn Burke 1:01:54
Sixth and seventh and 13th and 14th. 

Wendy Beck 1:01:56
To show up or do you have to get tickets? 

Robyn Burke 1:01:58
You have to get tickets online and you get over to some forms dot net and it'll pop up in there and. 

Wendy Beck 1:02:04
Oh, that's cool. 

Robyn Burke 1:02:05
Yeah, it's a it's 

Rich Bennett 1:02:06
But. 

Robyn Burke 1:02:06
a great event. They're also catering at the Whitemarsh 

Rich Bennett 1:02:09
White Marsh volunteer fire 

Robyn Burke 1:02:10
Fire. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:11
breakfast is. 

Robyn Burke 1:02:12
Breakfast with Santa and that's on the. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:15
That's the following week on Saturday and Sunday, 14th and 15th. 

Robyn Burke 1:02:19
And then they're also catering one at St Stephen's School on the 15th for the Girl Scouts. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:24
Well, I'm not going to be there to. 

Robyn Burke 1:02:25
You won't be at that one. It's a different Santa because you were already. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:27
The. 

Robyn Burke 1:02:28
But. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:29
I'm doing Serenity Salts Spa. I think that's on the 21st. So white. The white Mars Volunteer Fire Department. Richardson's Serenity Salt Spa is it's every year that's already booked like years in advance. 

Wendy Beck 1:02:42
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:42
And the cookies are saying there but that's private. A private event, you know. But no, it's I love it. So the authors I'm bringing this year to Richardson's are 

two it's hard to find local author. I wanted to ask you but I didn't think you'd be comfortable reading A Christmas Angel. 

Wendy Beck 1:03:03
I mean, I would, but I mean, I think it's it's 

Rich Bennett 1:03:07
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 1:03:07
it's not like a real uplifting. I mean, it. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:10
Right? That's right. 

Wendy Beck 1:03:10
But it's a little more you know, it's a little more serious. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:13
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 1:03:14
I think it's more of a book that you would sit and read and be able to talk about. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:17
Yes, 

Robyn Burke 1:03:17
Right. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:17
exactly. So this year, I got two authors that didn't write Christmas books. I got Debbie Jennings, who wrote a book called The Tapping. She's written several books. But the tapping stick is such a it's a great book because kids learn about the different trees and everything. 

Wendy Beck 1:03:34
Oh. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:35
And it's also she could talk about a Christmas tree, how it 

Robyn Burke 1:03:38
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:38
happened. She wrote it during COVID because I think it was her grandson had wanted to do something, just picked up a stick and he's playing with it. And she started teaching about it. Then I also have a Lindsey Pope. 

Wendy Beck 1:03:51
I've 

Rich Bennett 1:03:51
I have 

Wendy Beck 1:03:51
met her. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:51
her come in to RE1. And then I asked once I mentioned the name. You're going to know who she is. I had a young lady on that route, a book, and then she wrote a second book. And I said, How fast could you write a children's book? 

Wendy Beck 1:04:06
Cale. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:07
No. Michelle. Love, Mama. Michelle. 

Wendy Beck 1:04:10
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I know. Michelle. 

Robyn Burke 1:04:12
Oh, okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:13
So she's doing the first Saturday and the second Saturday because she wrote a. 

Wendy Beck 1:04:18
So if I write a 

Rich Bennett 1:04:20
Christmas 

Wendy Beck 1:04:20
Christmas 

Rich Bennett 1:04:20
book. 

Wendy Beck 1:04:20
story. I can read one next year for you at the. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:25
Not for me. For the kids. 

Wendy Beck 1:04:26
For the kids. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:27
Yeah. 

Wendy Beck 1:04:28
All right. I need to. I'm good with deadlines. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:31
Well, yes. I'm giving you a deadline. 

Wendy Beck 1:04:33
Okay. I gotcha. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:35
But I just because I mean, I talk to different authors all the time. Yeah. And yeah, I, I just love it. But there are some books that aren't Christmas books, but kids can learn. 

Wendy Beck 1:04:46
Yes. Yes. 

Robyn Burke 1:04:47
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:47
And I think that's the main thing, is 

Robyn Burke 1:04:48
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:49
the kids learn from them. I was thinking about bringing a magician, but magicians can take a while. 

Robyn Burke 1:04:53
What does she brings? The balloon artists and. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:56
She was a never seen balloon artist. I've only seen the authors because they won all that time. At the one author that came on. You and I were talking to her mother was here. She had it. She. 

Wendy Beck 1:05:12
Some rare. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:13
Yeah, we're. 

Wendy Beck 1:05:13
Yeah. Yeah. For. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:14
Forget what it was 

Robyn Burke 1:05:15
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:15
called. 

Robyn Burke 1:05:15
She brings in a balloon guy that that does, you know. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:19
I didn't do that. 

Wendy Beck 1:05:19
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:20
It's fun, though. It's a play. 

Wendy Beck 1:05:22
Well, when you edit this, you're going to you're going to learn a little bit more from the real Santa. 

Robyn Burke 1:05:27
Yes. 

Wendy Beck 1:05:28
And then, you know, maybe next year he'll he'll join us again. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:33
What's up with these these spider looking things on the table? 

Wendy Beck 1:05:36
Santa brought them for us. This we read the I don't know it just he wanted. He he knew we were talking about Christmas traditions. 

Robyn Burke 1:05:44
I guess he looked at the snow globe. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:46
Oh, okay. 

Wendy Beck 1:05:47
And then he brought these. 

Robyn Burke 1:05:48
Protest. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:49
These are pretty. 

Wendy Beck 1:05:49
Yeah. And Robin was reading the story before. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:53
I thought that black woman was real for a minute. 

Robyn Burke 1:05:56
Yeah, I don't know that I would hang that one on my Christmas tree because I'd be scared to death when I saw it. 

Wendy Beck 1:06:02
Thank you, Santa. 

Robyn Burke 1:06:03
Yes. Thank you. CNN mines pink and white and Wendy's is red and gold. 

Wendy Beck 1:06:07
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:07
What do they call Christmas spiders? 

Robyn Burke 1:06:09
Christmas Spyder. 

Wendy Beck 1:06:10
Some 

Robyn Burke 1:06:10
And 

Wendy Beck 1:06:10
a. 

Robyn Burke 1:06:10
that's where the tradition of. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:11
This was a teapot. 

Wendy Beck 1:06:15
Oh, that's cool. The. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:16
The bead is. 

Wendy Beck 1:06:17
That's me. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:19
Interesting. 

Wendy Beck 1:06:20
Yeah, well, Rich, when you when you post this, make sure we put a picture of the Christmas spider on there. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:28
Oh, you don't want picture me on your. 

Robyn Burke 1:06:31
Q with the Christmas. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:33
I can dress as saying. I mean, I got several pictures of me as saying I may. Put a spider crawl do gotten over my. 

Robyn Burke 1:06:40
Oh, I want to see this one. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:41
Yeah, do. 

Robyn Burke 1:06:42
I want to see a spider. Right on your hat.