Saxonburg Santa spreads magic of Christmas
Around the world, Santa Claus goes by many names; in Western Pennsylvania he goes by Ron Brooks.
“I am Santa,” said Brooks, owner and performer at Brooks Entertainment in Saxonburg.
Brooks has been working in Pennsylvania’s entertainment industry since he was 11 years old. He opened his own business in 1997, offering singing telegrams, special events and costumed characters. His work as Santa has proved one of his most authentic and enduring acts.
“I was always playing Santa,” Brooks said. “It was a constant.”
That devotion to the spirit of Christmas began for Brooks as a child, with his mother.
“I can remember, growing up, they used to have Santa come up on a firetruck in our neighborhood, and my mom would be dancing and screaming and shouting: ‘It’s Santa! It’s Santa!’” he said. “I guess she instilled that in me that this is an exciting time. This is what life is about.”
His mother, Nancy, developed many of his characters’ costumes throughout his career. It was his Santa costume, though, that left the deepest impact.
“I always loved playing Santa. I would always rent suits and such, and they would never fit,” Brooks said. “So my mom said, ‘Why don’t I make you a suit?’”
Brooks’ mother worked as a seamstress and had already sewn his gorilla, bunny and Grim Reaper costumes before creating his iconic Santa outfit.
“It’s still the same costume,” Brooks said. “My mom passed away in 2013, and every time I put it on it’s like a hug from my mom. Mom’s hugging me; she sewed this.”
Brooks’ career flourished as a uniquely singing Santa.
“It was a natural transition from doing singing telegrams and entertaining,” Brooks said. “It seemed like Santa was the perfect opportunity to not only spread joy, but to sing — I sing as Santa.”
Brooks’ musical repertoire is a hallmark of all his private and public events.
“I do a special version of ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,’” Brooks said. “We don’t sing ‘nose’ and we don’t sing ‘reindeer.’ We point to our nose and make reindeer antlers.
“I even have adults do that. I tell them, ‘In Saxonburg, during the winter, they’re going to make you do this. This is the sobriety test.’”
His performances pay careful attention to both the children and adults present.
“Santa’s for everybody,” Brooks said. “Santa is an equal opportunity lover-of-people and spreader-of-joy. That’s why I love it. It’s such a big part of my life.”
The importance of Brook’s all-ages approach became apparent in his recent work with the Grove City Premium Outlets.
“What I’ve noticed this year: I’m getting a lot of adults,” he said. “That is untypical. I think what happened is — from the pandemic, everyone was staying home … and now everyone feels the need for that magic again. Everyone wants that magic.”
Michele Czerwinski, director of marketing and business development at the Grove City Premium Outlets, recognized Brooks’ magic immediately.
“I feel like he is able to read somebody quickly; he makes every interaction personal, heartfelt,” she said. “I know he just makes everybody feel special in that moment. You just see the joy off people’s faces.”
Czerwinski has worked with Brooks for the last two years. In that time, she has witnessed Brooks provide joy, comfort and genuine love to shoppers.
“It was our first day together and within the first 15 minutes, we had a group of ladies come up. The grandma had just celebrated her 100th birthday,” she said. “The grandma was so happy to see Santa. It was just beautiful.”
Brooks explained that the older woman told him privately that she believed this would be her last Christmas.
“So what I did,” Brooks said, “was pull her over, and I said, ‘I will pray that you have a wonderful holiday season, that you don’t focus on that, that you just enjoy every moment, and I will pray that you’re doing great.’”
She then bowed her head and prayed with him.
“He’s just a special Santa,” Czerwinski said. “If you visit him, you’re going to remember it for the rest of your life; I will guarantee it. It will be a moment you treasure forever.”
Brooks’ resolve in his role as Santa stems from his own childhood fantasies of Christmas.
“I’ve always told my son: ‘Don’t be in a hurry to grow up because guess what? When you’re grown up, you’re grown up,’” Brooks said. “You can’t revert back. Enjoy those moments; enjoy that time in your life.”
Santa plans one last stop in Grove City before preparing for his flight around the world Saturday night. He will visit the outlets from 1 to 3 p.m. Christmas Eve.
