For 28 Years, Carl Anderson Has Heard It All As Santa Claus

Dec. 22, 2010 — -- Carl Anderson has heard it all.

For the past 28 years, Anderson, known by most as "Santa" or "Mr. Claus," has welcomed child after child up on his knee to whisper their holiday wishes in his ear.

But this year, Anderson decided to turn his years of stories -- which up until now he has recorded in nearly 30 journals -- into a blog: Santasays.org.

"For years, when kids have said something I want to be sure to remember, I've jotted it down," said Anderson, 57. "Of course they think I'm writing down that they want this doll or that truck but I'm not."

"Some of the things they say are so touching or so funny," he said.

He's heard from little girls who want their parents to get back together, and little boys who promise to leave him Cheetos and beer, instead of milk and cookies on Christmas Eve.

"One little girl gave me her list and said that she wanted a little chair for a little desk so that she could write a little diarrhea," he said. "Of course she meant diary, but the misspeaks are pretty funny sometimes."

Anderson says he realized on his very first day of work that being Santa wasn't always going to be easy.

"The first words I heard from a child was, 'Daddy left us and moved and so I guess he doesn't love us anymore,'" remembers Anderson.

"That's when I knew I'd hear more than 'I want a Barbie for Christmas,'" he said. "Kids see Santa as someone they can confide in and care share their secrets with."

Anderson has served as Dallas' NorthPark Center Santa for 22 years, and before that served six years at another area mall. When he's not dressing the part, the licensed psychologist is a professor at the University of Texas-Austin. He has no children of his own but says it's OK because he's "in the middle of lots of childrens' lives in many ways."

He's been a Santa through several wars, financial ruin and five U.S. presidents. Kids' wishes, says Anderson, often reflect what's going on in the world.

"After 9/11, I had one kid tell me to take toys to the children of the terrorists so that they 'wouldn't hate us so much,'" said Anderson.

"It's often more reflective in terms of their immediate family circumstances," he said. "Like the little one who wanted money to help mom pay the bills because she worries so much."