Patrick Johanns starts preparing for the holiday season in July. That’s when he has to stop shaving to make sure his beard is just right come December. 

“A lot of people are used to seeing me with the beard until spring break,” he says. 

Johanns — a University of Iowa alum and Tippie College of Business associate professor of instruction — has spent the past several holiday seasons dressing up as Santa Claus to bring joy to children at local events. 

“Too often because of the academic year, I turn around and realize Christmas is already here,” Johanns says. “There’s only a little time between the end of the semester and the holiday. This helps me break out of an academic season and get into the Christmas spirit.”

Johanns says he first dressed as Santa 30 years ago when he was living in Australia. He was nominated by children in his daughter’s school to dress up for an event because of his likeness to Santa — though this was before he had a white beard. Since the holidays take place during Australia’s summer, he recalls the suit being much lighter than the traditional heavy coat in the U.S.

“Here, it really started in 2020, during COVID-19,” Johanns says of resuming his Santa hobby. “No one was really getting out then, and kids couldn’t go to the mall to see Santa. My wife found kids who couldn’t get the experience otherwise. It was pretty special.”

Those first meetings with children took place over Zoom, as children excitedly told him their Christmas wish lists and parents sneakily wrote down the responses. 

Since the pandemic, Johanns has started appearing at in-person events in character, mostly for charity, and he upgraded his rented Santa suit to one he owns. He has also appeared at several events with children who are autistic or are sensitive to loud environments, giving them the experience of meeting Santa outside of a large setting. 

“Putting on the suit goes a long way,” Johanns says. “You get to see the kids’ eyes light up, and it’s great to see.”