Driving into Aloha Stadium’s Show Aloha Land, this year’s drive-through Christmas light show, the infamous Santa Claus sits at the entrance with his radio playing Christmas songs people look forward to all year. As people drive by, he waves and welcomes them with a jolly “Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas! Always listen to mommy and daddy, kids.” That is Don Gonzales, and he has dressed up as Santa Claus for the past five years.

Gonzales has worked in multiple professions during his 56 years of living in Hawaii. When he is not dressed up as Santa, he is a foster caregiver, a drummer at several local churches, and a fumigator. However, during the holiday season, he has taken on the red and white outfit entertaining people around the island.

His first opportunity to dress up as Santa was at a portrait studio in the Navy Exchange Mall on O’ahu in 2015. He says it was his long white beard that convinced the studio owner to showcase him as Santa Claus.

He recalls his first interaction with the studio owner. “She looked at me and said ‘is that real?’, and I looked at her and said ‘of course it’s real,’” he said. He continued being Santa at the mall’s rotunda for the next three years until he ventured to other venues.
What started as a side gig became a regular job during the holiday season. Soon after getting enough experience as Santa Claus, he became a familiar face at private parties, photoshoots, and malls. Among his many opportunities and events he has worked at, he believes his biggest achievement was being Santa at last year’s Winter Wonderland at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center.

The coronavirus pandemic has been financially devastating as it has inhibited his income, especially during the holiday season. It has shut down many opportunities where he could work as Santa Claus full-time.

“Up until this year I had been making anywhere from six to eight thousand dollars in just last week of November to Christmas eve,” said Gonzales about his wages from last year.