Ever heard of FORBS, otherwise known as the Fraternity of Real Bearded Santas? How about the IOS – the International Order of Santas? As Kris Kringle begins to show up at malls across America, The Takeaway takes a look at where these men come from. The Charles H. Howard School, founded in 1937, is the oldest continually running Santa school in the world and has trained thousands of people to stand in for the real guy when he’s too booked up. Tom Valent is the dean of the Charles H. Howard Santa Claus School, and has been a Santa for 35 years. Holly Valent is the school’s registrar.
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