Alia Jones, 7, snuggles up to Santa at the Northlands Shopping Centre. For the last seven years, Mr Smith has been dressing up as Father Christmas at the Northlands Shopping Centre in Christchurch. His passion and dedication to the role has earned him the title “King Santa” and he has also been described as “the best Santa ever” by children and parents. This feedback has led to Mr Smith being asked to contribute to the Santa training manual, which is circulated to Santas across New Zealand. He says the key to being Santa is “to present Christmas to the kids in a cheerful way and make them happy".

Source: Otago Daily Times December 19, 2019 22:18 UTC