Santa's spitting image
St. Nick of Columbus has the beard, the build -- and a boundless spirit of giving

Tuesday, July 9, 2002

Dean Narciso
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Photos by Tim Revell

His head is wrapped in hot plastic.

His beard burns from the chemicals, whose vapors sear his nostrils.

Rick Baldwin, stretched out in a stylist's chair, has just had bleaching agents massaged into his scalp and whiskers.

Two hours later, his white hair will encircle the face of St. Nick.

"He is Santa Claus," said stylist Nicole Lucician of Suite 59 Hair Design in Westerville, where Baldwin spends $60 every six weeks to whiten his hair and beard. "He's got the persona: He's jolly. He's got the button nose. He's just chipper every time we see him."

Lucician takes credit for part of the physical appeal.

"I was the first person to ever get him white," she said. "Everybody else was getting him Malibu blond."

Her secret: "lots of heat and heavy bleach. His skin flakes for a week or two every time we do it."

Baldwin is dedicated year-round to his Claus pursuit, wearing Hawaiian-type shirts for his summer gigs.

The part-time work -- his "real" job, with Ross Labs, began in 1978 -- started about two years ago, when he had the lead role in a Lawyers Performance Ensemble production of Miracle on 34th Street.

With rosy cheeks that complement his lustrous beard, and an ego that matches his girth, Baldwin has felt on top of the world ever since.

The 46-year-old treats his craft seriously.

"I want to take Santa entertainment to the next level," he said. "I don't want to just do 'Ho-ho-ho, sit on my knee; let's take a picture.' ''

Standing more than 6 feet and topping 300 pounds, he strikes an impressive resemblance to Kris Kringle.

"I have to be true to the whole persona, since I'm helping develop who he is," Baldwin said. "I owe a lot to the character."

Even in the summer heat, he dons overalls, shirts with wintry scenes and red shoes -- to go to a supermarket.

While there, and at other places where people gather, he might break into song -- prompting children to ask, "Is that really Santa?"

He has converted his Dodge Caravan into a mobile advertisement for his Santa services and for his other part-time job: that of a real-estate agent.

The van, pocked with snowflakes, features a plush reindeer that he rigs to wave from the passenger window. The license plate: THE SLED.

Baldwin has had his real-estate license since August. Unlike the Miracle on 34th Street character, who finds the perfect house for a little girl, he hasn't made a sale.

"It's more that I want the Santa business than anything to do with real estate," he said. "I'm almost reluctant to say I'm a Realtor."

Instead, he spends most of his spare time performing shows at birthday parties, schools and hospitals that include jokes, stories and Christmas carols.

During the off-season, when business isn't as hectic, Baldwin is still in demand.

Recently, Santa Claus serenaded 2-week-old Aidan Matthew Calhoun in the neonatal intensive-care unit at Mount Carmel St. Ann's in Westerville.

Aidan was born prematurely, at 2 pounds, 9 ounces.

"Read to him," Baldwin advised parents Matt and Molly, both 27, of Mount Vernon. "It makes their imaginations grow, and you spend all that quality time."

After singing the Peter, Paul & Mary tune The Marvelous Toy, he had a message for Mr. Calhoun: "Thanks for being a good boy. I always watch."

"I'm such a ham, and I love entertaining so much," said Baldwin, who has a grown daughter. "I just don't want to put him (Santa) in a box at the end of the year."

His aspirations go beyond malls and promotions.

The Eastmoor High School graduate and lifelong Columbus resident is looking for an agent or a celebrity mentor to take his act national.

His dream: to play Santa Claus in a movie.

"Buddy, I am going to go to Hollywood or to Broadway," he said. "They are not going to turn me down."

Baldwin shamelessly admits to seeking attention.

"I'm not bashful about self-promotion, especially when there's sincerity behind it.

"I've never come across anyone who's said, `You know, I'm uncomfortable with you being Santa.' They're delighted. In the brief snippets of time I meet with people, I can tell I've uplifted their spirits."

Patty Hakes, who hired Baldwin for a company Christmas party, agrees.

"He's fantastic. He's so real," she said. "Every child felt that he was there for them."

His fervor is unusually genuine, said Kevin Carr, a free-lance writer and film director who has worked with Baldwin.

"I wouldn't say it was to the level of psychosis, but it's at as high a level as you can get and still be healthy."

Rick Baldwin can be reached through santainyourhome.com or by e-mail at mailto:ricktheham@yahoo.com.

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Copyright © 2002, The Columbus Dispatch