Santas from across the world gather in Midland for iconic Santa school

As Santa Claus, Stuart Deacon Jr., of Houston, Texas, carries not only the hopes and wishes of many children on his shoulders, but also a three-generation family tradition as the Big Guy.

It appeared that Deacon had come to the right place on these first three days of October — the 89th annual Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Midland.

“It’s about time I showed up to class. This is the pinnacle of Santa schools,” Deacon said as he arrived at the Midland Center for the Arts along with about 240 others on Thursday morning.

“I’ve been a Santa Claus for 10 years. It’s about time I showed up to class. So I’m a first-year freshman with a bit of experience. But I’m looking forward to learning why we are Santa Claus, not just how,” said Deacon, whose father and grandfather were both born in England and served as Santa Claus there.

Deacon referred to the Christmas tale of the Grinch in explaining his hopes for the three days ahead.

“I need my heart to grow three sizes in one day. That’ll be today,” he enthused.

That fittingly childlike trust seemed to be shared by all the Santa Clauses in attendance — some, like Deacon, wearing white-and-green ribbons to indicate they were first-timers at the school, and the experienced ones, like Bill Dendy, of DeSoto, Texas, wearing white-and-red ribbons.

“The peer-to-peer sharing,” Dendy said of his favorite part of the school. “There’s a lot of time for interaction.”

He’s been coming to the school every year since 2018.

Hailing from a place somewhat closer to the North Pole, Joe Smith, of Cooks in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, calls being Santa for the past 10 years the second-best thing that’s ever happened to him after marrying his wife of 53 years, Joyce. Smith was back at the Santa...