How did you become Santa?
I was auditioning for a pilot film around August six years ago and the director asked me to grow a beard. The thing is filming didn’t start till November and I started to look like Santa Claus. I then saw that a Santa Claus was wanted in Dubai, so I went to an audition. The organizer chose me over 40 other candidates, saying that the only person who looked more like Santa would be Santa Claus himself. My first job as Santa was at the Kempinski hotel in Dubai. I’ve been Santa since 2006.

What do you have to do as Santa Claus?
My schedule is more or less the same: I take pictures with children and try to entertain people from 4pm on weekdays and 2pm on weekends. But there is so much more to it than that. I have to believe that I am the real Santa and try to bring joy to everyone. This involves interacting with people from all walks of life.

Do you have a day job?
I am a professional entertainer, actor, stand-up comedian, and magician. I’ve always been into acting, I started studying it when I was 17, and I auditioned for TV shows and received some background roles. I entertain in Nana and some Sukhumvhit bars. I’ve done stand-up at the Londoner and Bourbon Street, and I was a magician for Christmas at the British Embassy. I love performing on stage, as I get to see the joy in people’s faces—it’s like they’re opening a gift. 

Do children ask for presents? What’s been the weirdest request?
Surprisingly, it’s rare. I guess they have already written a letter to Santa Claus telling him what they would like. There was one case where a little boy wanted me as his Christmas gift! I told him that that although I’d like to be his present I couldn’t because it would mean that other children in the world would miss out on their gifts.

Do you ever pretend to be Santa to your children?
Yes, my daughters when they were young were easy to fool. My son caught on very quickly, though. As my daughters got older they would just play along even though they knew it was me.

What’s been your most memorable Christmas?
It’s my mother’s birthday on Christmas Eve, so the one I remember most fondly was before my five brothers all fell out with one another. We were all together and that’s what Christmas is all about: bringing people together. 

Why is Christmas catching on across different cultures?
It’s because the joy of giving doesn’t have a religion. Thai people have grown to celebrate Christmas as well, and it is only enhancing Thailand’s reputation as the “Land of Smiles.” Christmas is a time when people express their love, not only among family members and friends but also neighbors. It’s spreading since people are attracted to the idea that it is a marvelous excuse for giving.