Stan "Santa" Rogers pens Electoral College book

Caution: Individuals younger than 90 who still believe should not read this article.

Question: What did Santa Claus do in the off season?

Answer: Wrote a book about the Electoral College.

Why would Santa, the beloved symbol of fairness, become involved in a controversial and disputed process that elects the president based on a nationwide majority of electoral votes, discounting the popular and individual citizen’s vote? Each states’ number of electoral votes – Michigan has 16 – is determined by its number of congresspersons.

Stan Rogers, 85, of Newport, who’s portrayed Santa professionally throughout the Midwest for over 30 years, contends the outdated system threatens democracy.

Rogers in the person of Santa will land at the Monroe Mall again this year.

In his book, "Will the Electoral College Destroy Our Democracy," Rogers contends that “a healthy democracy should be based on the principle of equal representation with every citizen’s vote holding equal weight and where the President is elected by a majority of the people.”

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Through historical references and examples, Rogers illustrates the system’s inherent disadvantages, its negative impact on political campaigns, and the imbalance of power among states.

His conclusion: “The Electoral College is an outdated relic that distorts the will of the people and results in the votes of millions of individuals in the western half of the country count for nothing.”

Rogers credits “compassion for people” as the driving force behind his book and the “absolute right of every individual regardless of where they live or their status in life to have their vote counted.”

That quality of recognizing and sharing in the feelings of others is the bedrock of his transition to Santa when he’s “in the seat” at a mall or in public with his telltale flowing white beard and patch of red clothing: “I never leave home without it.”

Rogers was inspired to commence his Santa career through a chance encounter at a commercial tradeshow.

“I was dressed as Santa to entice customers to my booth and when I saw small children excitedly rushing to me with a look of joy on their faces, I was hooked.”

Ever since, playing the role of Santa can be both heartwarming and emotionally devastating.

On the plus side, “making children smile and feel loved regardless of their circumstances is like a spiritual experience. It’s more than a job, it’s a calling.

“Hopefully, the experience of sitting on Santa’s lap sharing wishes and dreams can have a lasting impact on the child’s belief in the goodness of the world and help develop their imaginations, an important asset to their lives.”

Santa sparks that imagination when answering innocent questions, most often how do you get down the chimney because you’re so fat and what if there’s a fire in the fireplace?

“I tell them I have magic dust that I sprinkle all over myself so I can squeeze under the door.”

Other times, Rogers struggles to contain his emotions.

Working with the Make a Wish Foundation in Florida was the most difficult. The future of the children was uncertain, and Rogers considered his role was to bring as much joy to their lives as possible.

“At these moments, I felt my words were being inspired by someone other than myself.”

Then there are times when Rogers encounters parents whose behavior runs counter to the Christmas spirit.

“Once I had to catch a reluctant child in mid-air after his mother who insisted on getting a picture literally tossed him to me.”

On other occasions, Rogers has had to transform from jolly to actually scolding parents “when they demean and belittle their child by telling me upfront that their child has been bad and asking me to tell them they need to change if they expect me to bring them any presents.

“I remind them that Santa finds the good in each child and instead of making hurtful remarks they need to concentrate on helping their child develop a positive sense of self-worth," he said.

As the saying goes in the holiday season, behind every Santa Claus there’s a Mrs. Claus. In this instance, it's Roger’s wife of 65 years, Elaine, who happily ensured a merry Christmas for their family while her husband was away doing the same for others.

When traveling with Santa, she considers it “a privilege to witness the magic in children’s eyes” when they share time with Santa and is quick to lament that “in our fast-paced culture of video games, social media and consumerism too many children are losing touch with the true meaning of Christmas. Advertisements that appear earlier and earlier in the season leads them to associate more with receiving presents than giving them.”

Both agree that seeing the children’s joy and excitement serves as “a reminder to appreciate the simpler things in life.”

After sharing all those Christmases with Mrs. Claus, Rogers, like many long-term husbands, is faced with the dilemma of coming up with a meaningful gift to leave her under the tree.

The sentimental yet practical Rogers who “putters around the house” making minor home improvements, in 2023 settled on a lawn tractor; last year an air compressor.

“This year I’m thinking vacuum cleaner.”

Mrs. Claus was unavailable for comment.

With a twinkle in his eye, Rogers indicates that sometimes there are side advantages to portraying Santa.

Like the time on his way to a mall in Cincinnati resplendent in his red suit and cap, he was stopped for speeding.

“I asked the officer if he really, really wanted to tell his children that he gave Santa a ticket.”

"Will the Electoral College Destroy our Democracy" is available on Amazon or by contacting Rogers at rogersstanley91@gmail.com.

Mike Kiefer can be reached at mikekiefer12@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Stan "Santa" Rogers pens Electoral College book