That’s no joke, no cute metaphor for setting up a quaint Christmas feature. Noble, 71, had grown restless after retiring as a family court judge in 2021. For decades, he had been volunteering to don the red suit and thrill children as Santa Claus at various Christmastime events. He saw retirement as the chance to take it up a notch.
So, later that year he packed his bags, noted any COVID-19 restrictions, bid his wife farewell and left his Fredericton home to attend a three-day program at the Charles W. Howard Santa Clause School, in Midland, Michigan.
The start of all this was serendipitous.
Noble became hooked on playing Santa during Christmas 1979, when, while sitting on his local school board, he was asked at the last minute to step in as Santa for a student event after the man who usually did it cancelled due to a foot injury.
When the bearded Noble entered the gymnasium dressed in the iconic red suit and stocking cap, the kids lost their minds. Santa Claus had arrived.
Bruce Noble
Now, Noble appears regularly as Santa during the Christmas season. He has a website and books both live visits and remote appearances. Some are paying, others are volunteer.
As for his festive alma mater, Noble called it a “finishing school” of sorts for Santas, a place for “re-energizing, to get yourself going with new ideas and new thoughts” on playing Father Christmas.
According to its website, the Charles W. Howard school was established in 1937 and is the “World’s Oldest Santa Clause School.” It’s mission, to “uphold the traditions and preserve the history of Santa Claus while providing students with the necessary resources to improve and further define their presentations of Santa and Mrs. Claus.”
Its program covers various subjects, including the history of Santa Claus, proper dress and the use of make-up, grooming a beard, giving radio and TV interviews, presentation, marketing oneself and, of course, visits with children.
Noble said a benefit of attending the school was finding out how to handle tough questions kids may ask — such as a request for the return of a deceased grandparent.
“The value of the Santa school was meeting the other Santas and [finding out] what they do,” he said.
As for the deceased grandparent request, Noble has yet to hear it — despite all his years doing this — but his Santa school classmates have shared their experiences.
“They said to be ready because you will. My intention is to say, tell me about your grandpa. What do you like about your grandpa? How did he make you laugh? How did he make you feel? I’ll spend the time talking about their grandpa, and say something like, well, it sounds to me like he’s still with you. I can’t bring him back, but you’ve already got him.”
Before being appointed a judge, Noble started out as a lawyer with his father in what he called a “general” practice. After 12 years, he began working as a city solicitor in Fredericton. He did that for almost 20 years before his judicial appointment.
Noble and his wife, Marilyn, have two grown sons, but no grandchildren.
“One of the nice things about dealing with the small kids is that I’ve got several hundred adopted grandchildren,” he said.
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