The Tradition of Portraying Santa Claus Spans Across Generations

Michael Rielly, the grandson of Rhode Island’s famed Santa Claus, James D. Rielly, will attend the final signing ceremony of the Santa Claus Oath on November 6, 2010 in Santa Claus, Indiana.

James D. “Jim” Rielly’s career as Rhode Island and Southern New England’s most recognizable Santa Claus spanned over 60 years. He began his Santa Claus career in 1928 and was featured locally and nationally in both print and television. He was recognized by a host of dignitaries including Senator Claiborne Pell, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Pope John Paul II. In 1979 his name was recorded in the Senate Congressional Record as “James D. Rielly – A Truly Remarkable Santa Claus From Rhode Island”.

Over the course of his career, Santa Jim Rielly took no money for his appearances. After Jim Rielly’s passing in 1991, his grandson Michael Rielly took over the role as Santa Claus. In his grandfather’s honor, Michael Rielly appears at many of the same charitable organizations and hospitals his grandfather once visited.

On November 6, 2010, hundreds will gather in Santa Claus, Indiana to witness the final signing ceremony of the Santa Claus Oath. There, Michael Rielly will represent his famous grandfather at the event.

The Santa Claus Oath outlines eight principles that a Santa Claus should follow. Authored by Santa Claus Historian and Professional Santa Claus, Phillip L. Wenz, the Santa Claus Oath was inspired by two legendary Santa Clauses; Jim Yellig of Santa Claus, Indiana and Charles W. Howard of Albion, New York.

The Santa Claus Oath is a reminder to all who portray Santa Claus of the ideals for which Santa Claus truly stands for,” said Phillip L. Wenz, “We are honored to have James D. Rielly become part of the Oath.”

After the signing, the Santa Claus Oath Book will be sealed and placed into a time capsule at Santa’s Candy Castle in Santa Claus, Indiana.

“I am so proud to be able to represent my grandfather at this historic event,” said Michael Rielly, “Papa took the role of being Santa Claus very seriously and I am sure he will be smiling down on us on November 6.”

About Michael Rielly
Michael Rielly has portrayed Santa Claus for over 20 years and is a third generation Santa Claus and is the founder of ClausNET.com (http://www.clausnet.com), the world’s premier Santa Claus social network and resource for Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, and Elves for the purposes of sharing stories, advice, news, and information. When not appearing as Santa Claus, Michael Rielly works in as a high tech sales and marketing professional serving in various roles; founder, board member, and business development.

About the Santa Claus Oath
The eight principles that make up the Santa Claus Oath (santaclausoath.webs.com) were written with the ideals of what portraying Santa should be about. Authored by professional Santa, Phillip L. Wenz, the Oath was inspired by the lives of the two most prolific Santa Claus actors of the 20th century: Charles W. Howard of Albion, New York and Raymond “Jim” Yellig of Santa Claus, Indiana. Upon writing the Santa Claus Oath, the document was adopted by nearly every Santa Claus organization and individual Santa portrayer in the world. The final signing ceremony for the Santa Claus Oath will be held on November 6, 2010 in Santa Claus, Indiana.

Survey Shows Company Christmas Parties Nixed

The Great Recession is making quick work of making company Christmas parties a thing of the past. According to a new survey tracking trends of Christmas in the workplace by My Merry Christmas.com, 43% of companies are foregoing Christmas parties this year in the name of fiscal prudence. That number comes on the heels of a steep drop last year in a similar survey. Despite the drop in company sponsored parties the survey did show that the Christmas spirit is thriving in other ways in the workplace.

“We saw the big jump last year when more than 20% surveyed said they would cut back on paid company holiday festivities. But this 43% drop in 2010 is shocking because it shows just how little things have improved in the workplace or have, in fact, become worse.” said Jeff Westover, editor of My Merry Christmas.com, which has conducted similar surveys about Christmas in the workplace since 1994.

This year’s survey polled 3,784 companies, large and small, across a broad spectrum of industries.

“It is clearly driven by the economy and the bottom line for companies,” Westover said. “Respondents indicated overwhelmingly that parties were eliminated due to lack of funds and the impact that such events had on worker productivity.”

The shift in numbers is reflective also of a shift in attitudes about holidays in the workplace. Political correctness has clearly been displaced by money as the sticking point in whether or not to have a Christmas party at work.

“From 1999 to 2007 we saw a period of increasing sensitivity to politically correct terms in the workplace.” Westover said. “We saw ‘Merry Christmas’ replaced by ‘Happy Holidays’ and many companies stopped calling it a company ‘Christmas’ party altogether, out of deference to the diversity in their workforces. That whole issue seems to have taken a back seat to fiscal realities.”

The survey did indicate a big surprise with Christmas in the workplace: while company parties are out, Christmas card exchanges are back in.

“Many respondents said that in lieu of parties many have re-instituted or expanded the practice of exchanging cards. We saw a small uptick in this practice a year ago with 3% more saying they would bring it back over the year previously. This year it is up another 19%, which is a remarkable statement in this age of email and electronic correspondence.” Westover said. The reverses a negative trend of workplace card exchanges dating back 9 years to 2001, the last time card exchanges showed an increase in the workplace.

The annual survey tracks not only workplace trends but also consumer attitudes of holiday spending and activities. My Merry Christmas.com is the largest Christmas-specific portal online, publishing unique content related to Christmas in an effort started offline in 1991.

Silent Night Bids for Christmas #1 in UK

Every holiday season there is a competition of sorts to see which artist sells the #1 new Christmas song of the year. This year Susan Boyle, Bryn Terfel and a host of others will be vying for the honors. But there is one unique entry that is already gaining notice…and fans. Facebook users are attempting to make four-and-a-half minutes’ silence the prestigious Christmas number one in the charts.

Nearly 30,000 people have signed up to the campaign which aims to get experimental composer John Cage’s silent piece 4’33“ in the festive top spot. Cage composed his work in 1952. The score, which can be played by any instrument, instructs musicians not to play their instruments for the duration of the piece.