Those who believe there is no such thing as Santa Claus have certainly never met Charlie Jones.
A well-known sportscaster for NBC and ABC networks for 38 years, Jones retired in 1998. He has since become a New York Times best-selling author, transitioning from interviews with professional athletes to professional Santas.
Taking one look around his La Jolla home “” set atop a scenic hill overlooking the shores and filled with a whirling Santa mobile and “A Christmas Story” replica leg lamp, presents piled high underneath “” it’s clear that Jones believes. And that may explain why he decided to tell the story of more than 30 men who don beards and red stocking caps every December in his book “Christmas Memories of Mr. and Mrs. Claus.”
“Christmas is the most important day of the year “” you forget all the other stuff,” Jones said. “We all smile and are happy, and speak to strangers on the street. It’s the one day when everyone is nice to each other.”
Christmas stories are something that many people cherish, but as Jones knows, those who dress up as the big magical man have the most personal, sentimental and often hysterical accounts.
When his publisher, Seven Locks Press in Santa Ana, put Jones in touch with Joe Moore of Laguna Niguel, a member of the international organization Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, his idea for a book began to take off.
He spent the last few months contacting professional Santas via email and phone, scurrying to compile each unique tale. The end result barely made it to press in time for the holidays.
The completed book features a portrait of a professional Santa on the cover, he said. Feedback for the book “” Jones’ tenth since retiring from broadcasting “” has been overwhelming so far. Over the last few weeks, many professional Santas have called to thank him personally for recounting their stories with such eloquence. And a handful of radio stations “” both local and from the East Coast “” have contacted him for interviews, he said.
And while he has truly enjoyed learning of others’ special holiday memories, Jones admits that he can’t help reminiscing about his own experiences in the jolly red-and-white suit, including playing Santa at his son’s Cub Scout party or the time in college when he and friends made “Santa appearances” in the community for $25.
But the Christmas that most sticks out in Jones’ mind is the year he decided to sneak a look at his presents. He found a football jersey that he’d been asking for tucked away in an upstairs room of his family’s house. It was the worst Christmas he’s ever had, he said.
“I don’t even shake them now,” he said, pointing to several large gifts on his living room floor. “I still want that feeling that I can’t go to sleep on Christmas Eve. I think we all do.”
Jones’ other publications include: “What Makes Winners Win,” “A Christmas to Remember” and “Confessions of a Gate Crasher.”
“Christmas Memories of Mr. and Mrs. Claus” can be purchased at Amazon.com; Barnes and Noble book; Warwick’s Books, 7812 Girard Ave.; La Jolla Shores Market, 2259 Avenida de la Playa; and SK Sanctuary Day Spa, 6919 La Jolla Blvd.
For more information about professional Santas, visit www.aorbsantas.com.