PCA pastor, actor and professional Santa, whose response to 3-year-old girl is going viral, says role brings new crowds to Jesus
Steve Lantz, an actor, pastor, and church planter with the Presbyterian Church in America wasn’t sure he wanted to add “Santa” to his resume. He had never validated the existence of Santa with his own children (now ages 6 and 10). Would playing Santa for other children not be in conflict with his beliefs?
Lantz answered his dilemma by researching the background of the man Santa was modeled after, St. Nicholas. “This guy was incredible,” he says. “He saved girls from lives of prostitution and innocent men from being executed. He gave much of his inheritance to the poor. ... I decided that instead of embodying modern, commercial Santa, it was St. Nicholas, the inspiration for Santa, I could play,” he explains.
A Floridian, Lantz was hired to play Santa for a tree-lighting ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne. He used his training and experience as an actor—he has appeared on several TV series, films, and national commercials—to inform how to be the most authentic Santa possible. More than 6 feet tall and 300 pounds, he knew he’d win kids over with his physical likeness. And when it came to character development, he decided to emulate Fred Rogers from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. “I’d heard that Mr. Rogers concentrated on talking to one child at a time rather than the entire television audience,” Lantz states. He was prepared to give each individual child who approached Santa the personalized attention they needed and deserved.
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@katielovesocial This response was ????Thank you Santa for respecting my daughter's choice & even applauding her for it!???????? #toddlersoftiktok#santaclaus#christmastiktok#toddlersbelike#adviceforgirls#importantmessage#toddlermom#toddlertok#wholesomemoments#femaleempowerment#girlpower#bodyautonomy? original sound - Katie Love
In addition to their performance approach, Lantz and Mr. Rogers are both ordained Presbyterian ministers. “I even went to a recent Presbytery meeting with white hair,” Lantz laughs, having had it stripped of color to prepare him for his upcoming Santa gig. As a pastor of 15 years who works as a chaplain at a local high school, he treasures finding creative ways to share the Gospel with others. Lantz considered playing Santa a local mission opportunity.
All of his professions came into play when Lantz’s first, and as it turns out, most important, test as Santa occurred in only his fourth appearance. A 3-year-old found herself next in line to tell Santa what she wanted him to bring her on Christmas. But when he invited her to sit on his knee, she said a firm no. Surprised but undeterred, he commended her for voicing her opinion, affirmed her feelings, and began talking to her while she stood, unaware the mother was filming their exchange. “Not knowing I was reinforcing what the mom already taught, I said goodbye to Adley and continued to visit with the children waiting in line to meet me,” he recalls. He finished his long shift with compliments from the Ritz’s general manager.
Only when he was called to be interviewed by the "Today Show," two days later, did he learn that the video the mother posted had gone viral, presently having been viewed more than 2 million times.
Lantz has since been interviewed by several news outlets covering the exchange, including "Good Morning America" and Fox News, and views of the video continues to gain fans. Lantz stands firmly by his response to young Adley’s preference. As a father, he tries to communicate Christ in all his ways, and feels strongly about affirming his children’s dignity as image bearers. To those ends, he and his wife, who he met when she was on staff with Cru, taught their young children a song called “My Body,” that emphasizes the value of having agency over their physical selves. “We need to listen to our kids and help them establish boundaries,” he says. “Just because someone is young doesn’t mean they lack good sense.”
Along with his other acting roles, playing Santa has helped Lantz and his wife raise funds for the church he feels called to plant in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood. But apart from supporting his new church, Lantz believes Santa was a role he was born to play. “As Santa, I’ve had access to audiences I wouldn’t otherwise have; I take that seriously. It’s a way to engage with kids, yes, but in my experience, adults love Santa even more than kids do. People respond to Santa the way the crowds responded to Jesus. As a Christian, acting as Santa is a means to bring Jesus to new crowds. It’s yet another way to illuminate the darkness.”
Christina Ray Stanton wrote an award-winning book about 9/11, and worked for a decade as missions director at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC (Founder, Timothy Keller).
