Stefan Dößereck: Ho, ho, ho! I’m Santa Claus from Cologne
Warmth, cordiality and lots of joy at Christmas time. Stefan Dößereck from Widdersdorf (54) radiates all of this in the weeks before the festival. He has embodied Santa Claus or Santa Claus more than 3,500 times in the last 26 years. His first appearance came about rather by accident.
by Alexander Buege
Cologne. On December 1, 1996, his brother Jochen asked him if he would like to act as Santa Claus for his three-year-old daughter Lea and three neighbours’ children. “I agreed and simply offered the children what I enjoyed,” remembers Dößereck. “But that’s not the only reason I liked the performance. I noticed that I really enjoy making other people happy.”
As luck would have it, just one day later, Dößereck came across a Santa Claus request at Cologne University of Applied Sciences, to which he promptly responded. His debut was followed by seven more appearances in 1996 alone. “Within a short period of time you are one of the most famous people in the world that everyone is happy to see. It’s just a nice feeling to be taken like this,” he says, Accurate Dößereck is his passion. That’s another reason why he says: “When I’ve taken off my coat, I’d like to go straight to the next performance.”
Now he attends up to 140 appointments a year. In addition, Dößereck has been offering a Santa Claus service since 1997, through which he or his colleagues, who also work mainly on a voluntary basis, can be booked.
Only: how should St. Nicholas or Santa Claus behave towards the children, their parents or a group of adults? “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a child or an adult. Santa Claus should treat everyone with respect and be nice,” says Dößereck, who appears at Christmas markets, celebrations and children’s birthday parties, for example. “Only if you enjoy this task yourself can you pass this on to the people who are in front of you. That’s why I’m in this role in my performances and live it.”
What Santa Claus should say to the children is obvious to him. “There’s never any nagging. Santa Claus should praise or suggest that maybe something can still be improved”, Accurate Dößereck, who works as a freelance advertising consultant. “Because what could be better for a child than being able to promise Santa Claus that they will try even harder in the future, for example when brushing their teeth or eating vegetables.”
The immediate feedback that Dößereck gets during his performances in the form of beaming faces is the reason why he continues to pursue his hobby with great joy. That’s why Dößereck is far from thinking about quitting. But on the contrary. He continues to look forward to his performances, even if they are not always completely stress-free in the weeks leading up to the festival. Because: “To have fun with children during this time is real work. But it is and remains the best work in the world.”
So you too can become Santa Claus
Since 1998, Stefan Dößereck has been offering seminars in October for people who want to portray St. Nicholas or Santa Claus. As part of the three-hour training, for example, how performances should be carried out and costumes should be put on. At the end there is a certificate and, if necessary, free mediation offers for their performances.
www.nachtmann-service.de