Meet John Jordaan, Father Christmas

“I enjoy meeting the children and seeing the excitement on their faces. I also enjoy the holiday atmosphere that surrounds this time of the year,” John says about his job as Father Christmas.

John Jordaan is a former artisan who worked for the City of Cape Town. He gave us a sneak peek into his new job as Father Christmas so we could learn more about what Santa’s job entails during the festive season.

It’s John’s very first time as Santa Claus, and he tells us how he managed to land himself this role. “At the end of 2015, I retired from my job, and decided to join a casting agency in order to make extra money,” John says. The agency is responsible for placing you in various jobs, John adds. Through the agency, John was invited for an interview at Canal Walk, and after an interview process with management at the shopping centre, he was chosen as Father Christmas who is more fondly known as Santa Claus.  

Here we leak some behind-the-scenes shots.

Santa Claus has a history of his own which can be traced back hundreds of years ago to a monk called Saint Nicholas. Much admired for his generosity, St Nicholas became the subject of many stories. Known a wealthy man, it is believed that Nicholas spent his time giving away all his inherited wealth and travelling the countryside helping the poor and the sick. Over the years, Nicholas’ popularity grew and he became known as a protector of children and sailors. The name Santa Claus, as we now refer to him, evolved from Nicholas’ Dutch nickname, Sint Klaas.

Nicholas passed away on December 6; a day when many Dutch families gather to honour his life. Since the holiday’s rejuvenation in the early 19th century, gift-giving, especially centred around children, has become an important part of Christmas celebrations. Today’s Santa Claus can be found in malls, listening to children’s wishlists while they sit on his knee; a responsibility that John says he loves most about his job. “I enjoy meeting the children and seeing the excitement on their faces. I also enjoy the holiday atmosphere that surrounds this time of the year,” John says.

Being Father Christmas requires a lot of patience, John explains. “I’m a grandfather myself, and over the years I’ve learnt to have patience with children. Sometimes the younger ones do not want to sit on my lap, and some are scared of Santa, but my elves and I do a very good job to ensure that they feel comfortable enough to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.”

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After his job is done, Santa plans to round up his elves and take a break from the Christmas rush. “I’ll use the time off to travel,” says John. 

If you’d like to be featured in this Instagram series, send a mail to editor@careers24.com, telling us about yourself and your awesome job, and we’ll be in touch!