VIENNA — Making toys for the world’s children is no easy task, so Santa Claus relies on a little help from his friends.

As Christmas Day approaches, Santa’s schedule gets even busier. In addition to receiving piles of letters (of which many are included in this edition), he schedules many public appearances to speak with children directly about their wishes for what will await them under this year’s Christmas tree. With so many places to be and people to see, Santa enlists a myriad of lookalikes to hear children’s requests.

Sonny Helton, 68, has volunteered as a liaison between Santa and the Vienna community since 2019 when Vienna United Methodist Church requested Santa’s appearance ahead of Christmas. Helton took the opportunity and has not looked back.

“I really enjoy it,” he said. “I really enjoy watching the little kids’ faces. That’s the most fun thing of all. Sometimes the parents get involved, and they get kind of crazy, too, so it’s an exciting time.”

Eventually, Helton’s role as Santa’s helper grew beyond appearances at the church. The Vienna Lions Club asked if he would want to bring Santa to community events such as Christmas Around the Square, and for the last few years, he has posed for pictures with local children.

“It’s a good picture time,” he said. “And the best thing is I have all that hair on my face, so I can smile, or frown, or just do what I want to because you can’t tell.”

Santa has an important role in Christmas traditions, and Helton was quick to identify what makes him qualified to fill that role.

“A 42 waist helps,” he said. “And I guess being able to talk and throw out a bunch of good stuff. You don’t want to be like Billy Bob Thornton and play Bad Santa.”

Although Santa is a beloved figure, Helton said he sometimes gets mixed reactions from smaller children.

“They range from extremely happy to extremely scared,” he said. “A lot of them, they’ll just pull back. A lot of the little babies that aren’t quite a year old yet… boy, you can hardly get a picture with them. And when you do, they’ll just turn around and look at you like ‘Who’s this old crazy guy with all the hair?’ But those little babies are so precious. That’s what makes it all worthwhile, is when you get to hold one of them. When (the parents) come to get them, the baby has its hands entangled in your beard trying to pull your beard off at the same time.”

Sometimes, Santa’s companions stir reactions from the children. At this year’s appearances at the courthouse and Vienna Senior Center, the Grinch accompanied Helton as Santa Claus. He recalled the strong reaction a preschool-aged boy had to seeing the pair.

“We had three (kids) running down the hallway, and the middle one stopped in the hallway. He looked up, and he saw the Grinch and Santa, and he turned and ran to the wall. He put his face against the wall and started crying. He would not come any farther. Then the sheriff’s deputy came up and handcuffed the Grinch, but (the boy) still wouldn’t come out. It’s just fun times like that.”

Helton said he sees trends in what the children wish for from Santa. Items such as dolls or hunting gear are always popular items. This year’s most common request surprised him.

“Drones were the number one thing this year,” he said. “I said ‘Well, we’ll talk to the elves and see if they can whip it up.’”

When talking to older kids who would understand the difference, Helton lets them know his role as a helper in the Christmas celebration.

“I tell them I’m just helping the main Santa,” he said. “Because the main Santa is at the North Pole, and there are so many little kids that he can’t get around to see all of them, so he has helpers. You have to talk to them on their level.”

Helton remembered photos with Santa at the courthouse as a long-standing tradition that he participated in as a child in the 1960s and that his children enjoyed in the 1980s. Now, he enjoys playing Santa so much that he took a break from his family’s Christmas gathering to pose for photos at this year’s visit to the courthouse on Dec. 14. His next appearance was during a senior center lunch on Dec. 20.

“Out at the senior center, you get to talk to the older people, and they get a kick out of it,” he said. “Then some of them look around like ‘Get the heck out of here.’”

Regardless of age, Helton said he believes anyone can find joy in the magic of Santa Claus.

“We’re all kind of kids at heart,” he said. “If everybody would have something that they would believe in like Santa Claus, this world would be a lot better place because you just have to believe and have something to fantasize about.”