Bismarck Tribune

BYLIZ COLLIBYLIZ COLLIN

There are a whole slew of different ways a parent can cope with putting children through college.

Loans, financial aid and federal grants rank among the most common methods used by parents to grapple with the added expenses children in college can bring.

But Williston's Tom Kvamme, blessed with an ample white beard, a jolly physique, and a love for children and the spirit of Christmas, decided to make the most out of his situation. He took an unconventional path toward the goal of a college-educated child. He became Santa.

And Kvamme is the real deal. No pillow stuffed waistline, no artificial beard - he is a 100 percent natural Santa, working hard each Christmas season to please thousands of tykes.

Some kids come in seeking bunk beds, BlackBerrys or maybe just a peaceful time with a family whose problems are put to a rest for the holiday season. Other youngsters look for more unusual requests - one of the most memorable is a young boy requesting baked beans for his holiday gift.

It all began in 1976, when he was a sports editor and journalist at the time. He began working at the Herberger's in Albert Lea, Minn., donning the famous red suit and welcoming tykes to sit on his knee, chat a little and take a picture. Later, when his career took him to Williston, he spent 11 years as the television Santa for KUMV-TV.

Kvamme finally "went pro," as he calls it, in the winter of 1990. For the past 11 years, he has been spreading cheer at the bustling East Gate shopping mall in Cincinnati. With the move, he was able to reach out to more children in need of holiday cheer.

So far, he has taken gift requests for more than a quarter million kids, and he is not stopping there. Among the youth who have perched on his knee are 4-day-old babies, a 20-year-old leukemia patient and an 11-year-old hospital patient awaiting a kidney transplant.

A typical holiday season for Kvamme begins on Nov. 11 and extends until Christmas Eve, where he takes to the sky to fly back to his home in Williston - similar to the sleigh-riding Santa all have come to know and love.

A normal day for him begins at 7:30 a.m., when he eats breakfast, then is driven to work by mall security. For some reason, Santa parking his own car and walking across the mall parking lot just doesn't fit the Santa image.

His typical hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday - a long week for anyone, including Santa. Thankfully, Mondays are a day off, a time for Kvamme to regroup from his hectic week of spreading holiday cheer.

Kvamme says there are a few requirements to be a professional Santa.

"You must first love to do it. Don't even attempt unless you have compassion and a love of children. Next, you have to fill the role with a real beard. Size and a jolly spirit help. From there, it is much like impromptu on-stage acting, but with no lines. You must simply adjust to the moment … compassion, a love for the season, and the spirit of Christmas. It lives in all of us, but we must share the spirit of the season and fill a much-needed role."

Kvamme says there is little formal training required to become a Santa, and, unfortunately for the imagination, no classes at the North Pole for Santa surrogates. Instead, Kvamme insists that his schooling has been one of simple trial, error, and growing into the part - both with the heart and with the waistline.

"My training has been the school of hard knocks, you know, learn as you go. Work to be the best you can be. Kids can read you and they challenge you."

Indeed, with each new year a new challenge arises, and this year has been no exception. With a recession and the deepening debt of many families this holiday season, one might assume that the business Santa receives is being influenced as well.

But a relatively unaffected industry gives proof to the fact that this role is in high demand. One theory lies in the ideology of hope that Santa brings to hearts of adults and children alike. And although many have asked Santa this year for a break from the economic crises, even Santa can't make that wish come true.

"Santa is not in the business of making promises," Kvamme says. "Santa serves as basically an order taker and peacemaker."

This year, Kvamme encountered many in need of hope for the holiday season. An 11-year old girl in a wheelchair was among them, asking for a doll. This was the girl's first time out of the hospital as she awaits a kidney transplant. According to Kvamme, she showed him her beeper that would alert her to the availability of a kidney.

As Santa, another one of Kvamme's responsibilities is posing for photos. Many visitors to the mall's Santa village who would like to mark this Christmas season with a photo next to the jolly Santa are able to do so.

With his children's college educations paid for years ago, each passing Christmas season still finds Kvamme on the job. It seems that each succeeding year he realizes more and more the effect that he has had on those who have perched on his knee each Christmas season.

"Santa has survived the test of time with hope and kindness … it's amazing how people respond to Santa, young and old alike."

(Liz Collin is a student at Bismarck High School. She can be reached at liz.collin@;bismarcktribune.com.)