Can you imagine the excitement the above statement generates a few weeks prior to Christmas? The Belleville Recreation and Parks Department has been helping generate this type of excitement for youngsters since 1973, when its annual Calls From Santa Program began. The program has been going strong ever since, and can easily be adapted to other communities.

However, before you begin a Calls From Santa Program there are some factors to be considered. An early consideration is, who will be making the calls. The initial program in Belleville included volunteers from the local YMCA and the Belleville Recreation and Parks Department. This approach continued through 1977 but a change was needed because of the increase in the number of calls to be made. In 1978 the assistance of the Telephone Pioneers (a phone company affiliate group) and the Belleville Jaycees enabled the callers to reach a larger number of youngsters in a shorter period of time.

Another equally important factor to consider is where the Santas will make their calls. It is best for them to have a central location so one supervisor can control the program. A local radio station provided an ideal call station from 1973 through 1977. This station was ideal because Christmas music could be included in the telephone call. A special recording system connected to each telephone made this possible. Unfortunately, the radio station was limited to two telephones and more telephones were needed.

The Telephone Pioneers came to the rescue by making a room at the local telephone office available for use by the callers. Ten telephones were provided for the program which made the calls go much faster. Unfortunately, the Christmas music had to be omitted since the telephones were not connected to a tape recorder.

Next, you need to select appropriate time(s) and day(s) for the calls. The first five years of the program the calls were made from 6-8 p.m., Monday through Thursday for a two week period. Most families are home during the week and children usually are permitted to stay up until 8 p.m. The negative aspect of using these times is that the callers have usually worked a full day and their enthusiasm may not be at a high level. Operating for eight days may also turn the program supervisor into a "Scrooge."

Since we didn't want a "Scrooge" on the staff a change was imperative. Saturday was thought to be a good day so we changed the program to run on two consecutive Saturdays. The hours chosen were 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. since most people should be home during that time. We felt that Santa could compete with the television cartoons and we were correct.

Select appropriate dates to make the calls. In 1978 we made the calls on December 9 and 16. These dates were close to Christmas and they gave an extra week to try and reach the youngsters who were missed.

You must decide on your target population. Three to six year olds were chosen since most of this age group still believes there is a Santa and most are capable of talking on the telephone. Occasionally, Santa will get a request to talk with a younger or older sibling and this request is honored since we do not want to upset the youngsters.

The registration sheet is very important and requires a great deal of thought. We ask for basic information including age, sex, name of youngster, parent's name, telephone number and address. Other pertinent information includes positive and negative factors concerning eating habits, social behavior and self-help skills. A list of gifts they are to receive from Santa is included also.

Promoting the program is our next area of concern. The program flyers and registration sheets are prepared and reproduced by our office staff. Retired Senior Volunteer Program personnel staple the two sheets together and place them in packets of twenty-five (25). Now the packets are ready to be delivered and the next step is to establish a delivery list. We take the materials to banks, savings and loan companies, libraries, schools, day care centers, city hall, community centers, YMCA's and radio stations. A sufficient supply of registration sheets is also kept at the department office.

The program is also promoted through the local news media. Public service spots on the local radio stations are most helpful. Public information releases were also sent to the local newspapers. One paper helped by printing a picture of a child receiving her Call From Santa.

After having been responsible for the Calls From Santa Program for three years I have developed a list of DO's and DON'Ts. They are as follows:

DO

1. Meet with the callers prior to making the calls to let them know what is expected of them.

2. Tell the callers to be themselves. It is acceptable if they don't have a flair for the dramatic. I almost lost my voice when I tried to go from Santa's voice to the voice of an Elf.

3. Be alert for youngsters who doubt the credibility of the caller. (How did you get all of the information that you have if you aren't Santa?)

Illinois Parks and Recreation 8 November/December, 1979

4. Try to limit your calls to approximately three (3) minutes. Some precocious youngsters will dominate the conversation if the caller doesn't take charge.

5. Develop a system for keeping a record of the calls that have been completed and also keep a record of the calls that aren't completed. We use a large X on the registration form when a call is completed. A simple N/A at the top of the sheet indicates a call wasn't completed. Include the time and date the call was made so a record of the number of attempts is available. There are times when the youngster isn't home and the caller will be given a time to call back. Keep a record of this and do your best to complete the call.

6. Make a decision on how long distance calls are to be handled. We make long distance calls, but do so on a collect basis. There have been several startled operators when they were told that Santa was calling. The reaction is even better when the call is accepted.

7. Be sensitive to the feelings of the youngster you are calling. Don't dwell on negative behaviors if you sense the youngster is becoming upset. Keep the conversation on a positive note and end all calls on a positive note.

8. Include the youngsters who are in special education classes or programs.

9. Try to complete all of your calls. We have reached the 99% mark three years in a row. Such a feat requires some extra time but I believe the benefit exceeds the cost.

10. Award Certificates of Appreciation or send thank-you letters to those individuals and organizations who made the program possible.

11. Be prepared to deal with the youngster who talked with you in one of the stores. You have a lot of information about the child that can be used to get you out of difficult situations.

DON'TS

1. Discuss behaviors that might disturb the child. These behaviors include thumb sucking, phobias, religious issues and potty training. We are not psychiatrists so it's best if we don't try to perform their duties.

2. Agree to bring the youngster a toy that isn't on your list. One way to cover this situation is to tell the youngster to discuss the new request with his or her parents.

3. Hang up on a youngster. Let them hang up first so you don't chance upsetting the youngster. You may have to get a parent or older sibling on the phone so you can end the conversation on a positive note.

4. Start a Calls From Santa Program unless you want to bring happiness to a lot of youngsters and are willing to spend the extra hours that such a program demands.

Hopefully, I have been able to convince you that a Calls from Santa Program is worth the effort. Think of the happy youngsters who will receive a call from Santa and you should be eager to start a Calls From Santa Program.

Prior to assuming the position of Superintendent of Recreation for the City of Belleville Recreation and Parks Department three years ago, James Hammontree served as Recreation Director at the Tennessee School for the Deaf in Knoxville. He holds a M. S. in Recreation from the University of Tennessee. His personal recreation interests include softball, bowling, bicycle riding and camping.

Photos by Bill Demestri, Courtesy of Belleville News Democrat.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 9 November/December, 1979