Vlog from the North Pole
Behind every great Santa is a story of a wonderful life lived and a passion for spreading joy. Join us as we peek ‘Behind the Beard’ in our series of interviews with the jolly gentlemen who bring the magic of Christmas to life.
Step into their world and discover the heartfelt, candid moments that make being Santa with Scene to Believe a special experience.
Meet Auslan Santa Jim
For deaf children to see Santa signing back — that’s where the real magic happens
Meet Auslan Santa Jim — a man whose heart is just as big as his sleigh! After more than 50 years on the road as a professional driver, travelling across Australia and supporting children and people with disabilities, Jim hung up his coach keys and picked up the red suit.
But Jim’s story is extra special — he’s part of Australia’s Deaf community and one of the first Santas to communicate with children and families using Auslan. ❤️
Through his work with Scene to Believe, Santa Jim brings the magic of Christmas to life for Deaf and hearing children alike — proving that the spirit of Santa speaks every language, especially the language of kindness.
From driving Paralympic teams to sharing joy in shopping centres, Santa Jim’s journey reminds us that connection, understanding and joy are what truly make Christmas shine.
Watch below as Auslan Santa Jim shares his story — from his life before Santa, to what it means to wear the red suit and connect with children through Auslan. [Transcription follows].
Behind the Beard
What did you do before becoming a Santa? Tell us a bit about your career or life before.
Oh, I grew up in the deaf community and I’ve been involved in the deaf community for many years.
I worked for many years in heavy haulage, truck driving, B doubles and then later I became a coach driver, not only for deaf people, for hearing people as well travelling all around Australia. We had sports teams and I would drive around and holiday teams. It was a very, very busy role! I was doing that for 51 years.
So, I retired last year [2024] I actually received a Hall of Fame recognition from the National Road Transport Organisation. When I was driving the buses and the coaches, I also drove a lot of children around school groups and children with disabilities. I did that for, many years, 25 years. I was involved in driving sports teams around Paralympic teams, and I also drove at the Sydney Olympics and the Commonwealth Games. So I did a lot of those types of trips, that’s why I was awarded that recognition.
The Santa Journey...
When did you first become a Santa and what inspired you to take on the role?
Oh, someone tapped me on the shoulder and said “Hey, we’re looking for a deaf Santa, I think you should do it!” And I nodded straight away.
I took the opportunity straight away. I’ve always worked with children and to be honest I feel like I have loved Santa my whole life and I still do. I love the old Christmas movies and are always teary watching the old movies with Santa. So, when someone offered me the opportunity I jumped at it.
How many years have you been working as Santa with the scene to Believe?
2 years, I started in 2023 and worked through 2024 and here we are.
And what made you choose to work with the Scene to Believe in particular?
Well, the person who approached me actually came via a contact of Scene to Believe and that person then recommended me to Scene to Believe and that’s how we started our relationship.
I really have been the one of the first people to offer this Auslan Santa to the community.
It’s great.
The Magic of the Role
What do you love most about being Santa?
Oh, everything.
I love working with the children, seeing them smile, seeing them walk up to me with their big smile and they’re also walking away happy and excited.
It makes me feel young again too. And I love especially working with deaf children to see that they understand who Santa is and can are just as amazed as the other kids are. The communication with the deaf children is really important.
What’s your favourite part of working with A Scene to Believe during the festive season?
OK, I really love working in the shopping centres, seeing all the people, seeing the children lining up and getting excited, especially the deaf children and they’re so shocked when they see it and meet a deaf Santa.
I love watching their children wandering around and looking at the sets and enjoying the environment and even on some of the merry go rounds.
I love the excitement of getting in early and changing into my suit and getting out there and I’m always sad when I finish my shift.
OK, why do you love Christmas?
What makes it special for you?
When I was younger my mother and father and brother and sisters were all hearing and we didn’t communicate with Auslan. I’m a full Auslan user but my parents didn’t want to use sign language, they wanted me to speak.
So, I actually grew up during Christmas time with my brothers and sisters and parents sitting next to me chatting, speaking to each other and I never knew what was going on. I did tend to feel alone at Christmas time which is why I loved watching Christmas movies on my own. But now I see that Christmas are, it is exciting for deaf children because they are able to communicate.
They are using Auslan and they’re meeting the deaf Santa. And I never ever thought that I would be a deaf Santa one day because our community is very small. And I know that this is not never thought this would be me, but here I am and I’m excited I’m in this role.
Wisdom from the Workshop
Do you have any tips or tricks for someone thinking about becoming a Santa?
I think it does depend on the person and it depends on their skills. It’s a hard one to answer.
It’s not really for someone who’s too shy, but also sometimes you have to be prepared for some of the stories that the children might share with you. You may hear things like I wish my father will come on Christmas Day and you may have to be ready for those types of questions and, and respond appropriately.
But yeah, specific tips, I’m not sure I would have to meet the potential candidate first to give them the right tips.
But also, there are children out there who are referred to as coders. They’re children of deaf adults. Those children, they live in a hearing world, but also in a deaf world. So, they they are sometimes stuck in the middle.
I see when they come and meet other deaf people and they start to sign, they do feel comfortable and even myself with my own children and growing up in the work that I had, the communication can be difficult if you don’t work or live around other of them users. So, I would like to bring that together and make sure that the community can communicate properly.
Also, when I stand or, sit and I have an appointment with some families coming up, there may be sometimes where children are uncomfortable to meet Santa and they may be shy or, they’re hiding behind their parents. I feel I have a, a strategy to stand up and use my hands and gesture to them and encourage them to come on in and to make them feel comfortable. And I think other people see that and then we see the lines growing. So, I really think that deaf people have that extra visual skill that can entice people to come.
When there was a first deaf Santa in Queensland, his name was James and then I became the second Santa in NSW area. Then we had a third and a fourth person, Adelaide.
Unfortunately we didn’t have one in New Zealand, but Viv [Vivana Diaz, Santa Character Manager] was talking to me about trying to find some some new Santas and when we went to Adelaide we also we ended up recruiting someone from there and it’s really good to see that it’s it can be accessed, that everyone can access it. Now that there is an an even opportunity for people to meet Santa.
What advice would you give to new Santas just starting out?
Be something small or it can be something big. There is Santa training that is offered every year, and I participated in that. I had an interpreter there and I learnt everything I needed to know and I thought that was very appropriate and everything was relevant, so it was worthy training.
Also, we had a, a group, a WhatsApp group that we were able to connect with each other and with other Santa’s and, talk about what was happening through the season. People were adding some funny comments and sharing some experiences.
So, I would say, you know, when the, for example, in my experience, when the new Santa from the NT and the new Santa from Adelaide tag came along, we all joined the WhatsApp group, and we shared our experiences. So even though we were in other states, it didn’t matter. We we caught up on WhatsApp and had video chats every now and then to share our experiences. So, it worked really, well.
Like I said, in past conversations, we discussed about our gloves, and which gloves we would wear if they were black or white. But that’s another discussion.
It is also a unique experience being an Auslan Santa because you do meet lots of different families and families who have deaf kids or hearing kids or children with additional needs.
So you, you will find a real mix of families coming up to you. You might find some families where the parents are hearing and the children are deaf, but they don’t use Auslan at all and they’re trying to use speaking as a method of communication. And sometimes that can be difficult to see when that, when you come across that as a Santa.
Yeah, there’s, there’s some difficult things that you do see.
Moments to Remember
Can you share a funny, heart-warming or memorable story from your time as Santa?
Oh, I can tell you, I think that deaf people and deaf children, I think they show a stronger belief in Santa than other kids. I remember one example in Canberra, the father came along, this is 2 years ago, with his young daughter who had cochlear implants and they were actually hesitant. They were looking in the background, and they were not sure if they should come and say hello. But then the father brought the daughter up to me and she waved at me and she couldn’t believe that she’d met Santa and I said to her,
We’re the same, you know, look at me, I’m Santa and we’re the same.
And I think she was a bit shy and a bit, and even the father was a bit nervous about, oh, what’s going to happen to my daughter when she grows up? She’s deaf, she’s got these barriers.
But I said,
Look at me, here I am, I’ve had this long career and here I am working as an Auslan Santa.
So you’re going to encourage your child to see what they want to do. And the following year they came again and the mother came this time and I know that they were having some marital problems, but they both still came with their daughter and the daughter was signing a little bit this time and it was wonderful to see.
In the Central Coast, we had another family that attended. A mother came with her eight children, and I could not believe it when they turned up and one of the children was deaf with additional needs and I could see that and I gave them the thumbs up.
I said,
Come on, where’s everyone going to sit? We’ve got 8 kids here!
We had a bit of a laugh about it and the mother, she stood up and she introduced all of her kids and all of the kids signed their name. One after the other, each of them signed their name. They were all hearing, but they had one brother who was deaf and the seven other children learnt how to sign, and I was nearly in tears. They were so excited to be there with him and as a family.
It was such a fun experience for that child, and I think if there was not a deaf Santa there, I don’t think they would have come.
The whole family was really supportive of Auslan and just to see that support for their brother it was it was heartwarming… but also difficult to see as well.
Sometimes other people want to come and ask questions a lot with the Auslan Santa, but I do try and stick to my job. Other people are quite shy and don’t want to come and talk to me, but then I go and encourage and chat with them.
[Auslan Santa Jim with Emma Memma!]
I also had a great experience last year and the year before with Emma Watson. She knows how to get the children into the scene. They all came in and they wanted to meet Emma. But then of course they came and met me as well and we worked together really well. It was quite a fun experience.
Emma can sign and so that was a big draw card as well. So, she was speaking and signing and there were many hearing children coming in, but they were drawn to Emma because she could sign and they were excited to meet me.
There’s a lot of feedback from people saying that they want to go and learn Auslan after they meet me and that’s really lovely to see that spreading.
I really cannot pick one good memory. There’s so many!
A Little Extra Sparkle
What’s one moment in the red suit that you’ll never forget?
I do have one story of a young girl. Oh no, hang on. No, yes, a young girl. She came up as she was hearing and I asked her what would you like for Christmas and her answer was I want my mum and dad to get back together. And I felt quite sad and it was difficult to answer appropriately. I feel some, some deaf people out there do have additional disabilities and additional sufferings, but we can easily read people’s emotions.
There’s also some people who are quite scared to come and meet Santa and I feel there’s been quite a few times where our families have said, oh, this is the first time my daughter’s come and sat with a Santa in four years.
So, I can see that even though they’re hiding and they’re reluctant to come, I do make them feel comfortable.
So again, if I had to give some advice to another deaf Santa, I think it’s quite hard to give that specific advice because of those unique situations we come across, but we would definitely be able to support them with the five centres that we have.
I really think children who are deaf and come and meet a deaf Santa are just overwhelmed with joy and they just can’t believe what they’re seeing.
I also remember one of the kids came up to me a while ago and asked about presents and I said, “Have you got a chimney?”
And they said, “No.”
And I said, “Oh well, make sure you get the table that and the biscuit and the tea.”
And the child was nodding and that was a nice experience.
So outside of Christmas, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I’m going Caribbean trips, I go all around Australia, I travel overseas.
I’ve done a lot of travel recently. I love watching the NRL. Bulldogs are my team and they’re at the top of the ladder at the moment.
I love watching sports, cricket and my wife loves her sports as well, but we both love travelling too.
Now, if you could send one message to every child or parent you meet during the season, what would it be?
Oh, I really like to tell kids to make sure you help your mother and your father and say don’t get in trouble.
Merry Christmas
Inspired by Behind the Beard?
If this story in our blog ‘Behind the Beard’ has sparked something in you, why not join the merry crew bringing Christmas magic to life with us?
As a Scene to Believe Santa Character, you’ll enjoy full training and support, be part of a joyful community, and share in the camaraderie that comes from spreading holiday cheer.
Discover the perks and the joy that come with stepping into the red suit — learn more or send us an enquiry at scenetobelieve.com.au/santa-jobs.
Your next great story could start right here!
