Shaking Santa’s hand on Christmas Eve at the Millenia Mall.

Posted on by Thor

Several months ago I got an e-mail from Greg Dobbs, a photographer who had read my post from last year as I tried to sketch Santa Claus from afar. He was one of the photographers from Theme Street Pictures, (The official photographers at The Mall at Millenia), who shoots these treasured portraits with Saint Nick.

“Dear Mr. Thorspecken, just found your letter,

the poem was brilliant, the artwork much better.

It hurt me to hear of the problem you had

when visiting Santa, and then leaving mad.

But we can’t have you artists with sketch pads in hand,

disrupting the calm over Hollyville land.

Your a rowdy, anarchists, a most dangerous bunch,

when I think of you drawing there I belch up my lunch.

It’s not that the rules here were made by a Grinch.

The malls not really like that……….. well maybe a pinch.

They get carried away every now and again,

looking out for the children, the women, the men.

But we’re not with the mall, we’re a separate group;

dear Santa, his helpers and photography troupe.

We work endless hours, for the children you see,

to make Christmas special, the way it should it be.

And then after all of our efforts we find

a person like you that was treated unkind.

It’s not the way we want you to remember,

your visit to Hollyville any given December.

So here is an invitation to you

to come spend an hour, three, four or two!

Not in the rafters, like Elf on The Shelf,

but down in the trenches, with St. Nick himself!

Please bring your sketch pad your pencils or chalk,

don’t waver, or hesitate, don’t you dare balk.

You’ll be our guest, a welcome addition

to the most crazy world of our Christmas tradition.

Join us up close you have nothing to fear,

Except maybe grandmothers, babies and tears.

Just bring this e-mail so I’ll know you on site,

You’ll recognize me, with the “bobble and light”.

Hope to meet you this season.”

  

When I got to the Millenia Mall on Christmas Eve, I found  a sign at Hollyville that announced that Santa would be leaving at 5pm. I only had one hour to sketch. Greg greeted me warmly and explained that this final hour would be a mad rush. The line of children and parents snaked all the wan around Holyville in a nautilus pattern. It was hard to believe that all these people could meet Saint Nick in one hour. The first child I drew started screaming in terror when his mom backed away. Greg’s job was to catch the child’s attention. He used a multi colored glowing orb that he lightly tapped on the baby’s tummy. Startled and amazed by the glowing orb, the child stopped crying. Greg would quickly pull back the orb towards the camera lens and the child smiled with delight as the shutter clicked.


The action never stopped. Some parents insisted on shooting their own iPhone photos but that held up the line possibly meaning some people would not get a chance to meet Santa even after standing in line. Greg offered me a drink and made it impossible for me to refuse his hospitality. I asked his assistant for my usual battery acid, Mountain Dew. She couldn’t find d Dew but came back with a custom high end soda that she suspected might be similar lemon lime flavor. She hit the nail on the head because the drink was delicious, I wish I knew what it was called. Santa and his staff got through this mad rush with chocolates, chocolate chip cookies and caffeine. I essentially became part of the staff since I often had to direct parents out of the maze after they had visited Santa.


Santa stayed for some overtime in order to be sure everyone in line could meet him. When my sketch was done I waited to thank Greg for letting me experience the Christmas Eve rush. He said that Santa wanted to meet me. His beard is real and his expression was sincere. Suddenly I felt like a shy child. He gave me a warm hand shake and told me he has seen my work and loves it. With people still waiting in line I didn’t want to take time to dig out my sketchbook. I know he will get to see the sketch, he sees everything. I was so flustered, I forgot to tell him what I wanted for Christmas this year.

Trash Cinema 101

Posted on by Thor

Trash Cinema 101 is a live, interactive experience, with bad films, good friends and ZERO class! Each month, Logan Donahoo guides you through his own cinematic wasteland, and brings you out the other side with drinking games and trivia – all wrapped in a campy, lewd, irreverent shell! For the month of December Logan promised to screen a 1964 holiday cult classic called “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.” The screening was at The Venue, (511 Virginia Drive, Orlando).  The Venue is a new performance space that Blue Star established in the Ivanhoe Village district. She had to make some major renovations to satisfy the Orlando code enforcement including a huge wheel chair ramp onto the stage. The stage is rather small, so the ramp effectively takes up one third of the foot room.

I knew Logan had to paint on his signature magenta face mask prior to the screening, so I arrived early so I could sketch him doing him makeup.  I had never been to The Venue before. The front building, a steep A frame structure was used as the lobby where people can grab a drink and mingle.  There was a photo of Great Aunt Grace hanging on the wall. A couple arrived wearing tin foil beanies with a uni-horn. The Beatles were performing on a big flat screen TV.  Keyvan Acosta arrived and paid using a credit card. The ticket person had an iPhone with one of those square swipe devices. He signed his name with his finger on the iPhone screen. There was a 30 cent service charge but it must be worth if for the high tech cool factor.  Keyvan lamented the fact that every girl he dated ends up leaving town. Just as he starts to get to know a girl he has to meet someone else and start over. It is like trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle where the image on the pieces keeps changing. Orlando is a rather transient city.

Logan was running late, and so the makeup was done quickly with the audience seated in the theater. He used two strips of masking tape to create a clean hard edge to his mask. A patchwork quilt covered the upstairs dressing room entrance. There was a candle on the table I sketched from in the theater. The film was every bit as strange and quirky as Logan promised. Children martians had thick face paint that looked like black face on film. Logan’s ongoing commentary on the low budget film made the screening laugh out loud funny. I’m a  newly converted Trash Cinema fan.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Posted on by Thor

We were staying at Steve Wallace‘s house out on Staten Island. Steve works at the Police Academy in New York City. He drove us to the Academy which is right in the neighborhood of the School of Visual Arts where I went to college. After a quick visit to his office where we left Reese’s, Carol’s Dachshund, we were escorted up to Macy’s by another officer, Joe Deligate. We drove through barricade after barricade until we were right across from Macy’s. There was a special section reserved for police family and we pressed in.

I sketched as we waited for the parade to begin. My older brother Don Thorspecken showed up with his kids, Nicki and Kyle. There was a long wait. Cheerleaders sat in the street hugging their legs trying to stay warm. There were bleachers set up across the street and that was where the TV camera’s were. Macy’s had a large Believe sign on the side of the store. I believe it had to do with the newspaper editors reply to Virginia when she asked if there is a Santa Claus.

Confetti cannons announced the start of the parade. We were at the point where the parade turned right, so we had an unobstructed view of all the floats and balloons as they approached. One balloon was of a Shelf Elf. Carol practices this tradition. A shelf elf is in the home in the week prior to Christmas. This elf reports back to Santa telling him if the children have been naughty or nice. Each day the elf is hidden in a new hiding spot and the kids try to find him. As we ate breakfast one morning, the Kids, Anna and Kirsten discovered the elf sitting right on the light above the table. I hadn’t noticed, since I wasn’t looking.

Floats stopped at our corner so we got to shout out to the stars in the parade, like Whoopie Goldberg and Adam Sandler. Teen pop stars got the loudest shout outs. I didn’t recognize them, but the teens behind me certainly did! Singer, Carley Ray Jepson, who sang that “Call me Maybe” song was on a float. The huge balloons loomed over us as they shifted in the wind. The parade went on for like five hours before we got to see Santa on his sleigh. Nini Thorspecken, my 17 year old cousin visiting from Germany, was right up front, pressed against the metal barricade. I think she was impressed by this American tradition.

Santa at the LYNX Bus Terminal

Posted on by Thor

Debbe King tipped me off that Santa was going to be in the LYNX Bus Terminal. When I arrived I sat on a terminal bench straight across from Santa. Mrs. Claus was there as well but she was constantly on the move. She shouted out, “Hey! How about another announcement!” The loud speakers crackled, “Mr. and Mrs Claus are in the bus terminal. Come meet Santa.” Mothers and children must have taken buses just so they could meet him. A new mom had her two week old baby with her. She gently placed the baby in Santa’s lap. He smiled at the baby that cooed playfully. A slightly older daughter was frightened of him. The man seated next to me was also watching and he laughed.

A man with a dark straggly beard and wild dark hair was muttering and cursing to himself as he shuffled by. He must have been the anti-Santa. He continued to curse after he sat on a bench. Two OPD officers soon walked in and insisted that he had to leave or get on a bus. Santa was loitering as well but his jolly laughter and good cheer left the officers laughing as well. “Ho, Ho, Ho! Write me a ticket! Ho, Ho!” As they walked away, they were smiling. A face painter created intricate holiday masks for the children. One boy left as Spiderman and his sister had delicate butterfly wings over her eyes.

A fan was pointing at Santa constantly since he is used to much cooler weather at the North Pole. A group of teenage girls approached him. “Your never to old to sit on Santa’s lap!” He chuckled. The girls giggled. One of them sat next to him and whispered in his ear. He asked a little boy what he wanted for Christmas, and the boy said, “A car for my parents.” “You’d be amazed at how many requests I get for cars.” he replied. “I’ll see what I can do.” I was touched that the boy didn’t ask for anything for himself. Santa’s beard was real and his red nosed complexion was real as well. Perhaps families across Central Florida will experience a New Year with the freedom of the open road. If only gas was less expensive.