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On the Story
ASK CNN
Aired November 22, 2001 - 09:56 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well the turkey may be the star today, but Thanksgiving is the traditional start of the Christmas season. So the big jolly fellow in the red suit is not far behind, and as our Jeanne Moos reports this morning, some of Santa's helpers have already shown up in New York with their boots on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We could use a little ho, ho, ho these days. Osama bin Laden's not the only guy who wears a beard.
UNIDENTIFIED CAROLERS: Here comes Santa; here comes Santa.
MOOS: They call it Santa School, but it's really part photo opp, part pep rally led by Scrooge.
"SCROOGE": Are you ready to show each boy and girl, man and woman the goodness of the heart of humanity.
SANTA TRAINEES: Yes.
MOOS: Sidewalk Santas from the Volunteers of America learn the do's and don'ts.
"SCROOGE": You ring your bell rhythmically and ho, ho, ho joyfully.
MOOS: It's not easy ho, ho, ho'ing joyfully.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ho, ho, ho.
MOOS: When kids test your beard, adults question your identity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God, he's a fake one.
MOOS: Some of these Santas have themselves been helped by Volunteers of America. Tony Wiggins used to be a homeless addict, now he's clean.
TONY WIGGINS, VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA SANTA: I ring the bell. I flip the bells. You know people go "Oh Santa!" When they all laugh, that's when I get them -- excuse me, can you put a donation in please?
MOOS: Keep your eye on the bell. Don't set it down as Maurice DeWitt did one year near Rockefeller Center.
MAURICE DEWITT: Where somebody stole my bell, and the children pointed -- and pointed them out, and was dressed as a uniform Santa too and then there was a scuffle. It was right by ...
MOOS (on camera): The two Santas scuffling?
DEWITT: Yes. Yes.
MOOS (voice-over): The impostor was trying to cheat folks out of donations. Police arrested him. Reminiscent of that scene in "The French Connection" where Gene Hackman plays a cop who goes undercover as Santa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE FRENCH CONNECTION")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freeze.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jimmy watch it, he's got a knife.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
MOOS: Santa gives chase. Remember when you're naughty, Santa's not nice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now I'm going to bust your *** those three bags.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: The sidewalk Santas say kids sometimes put them on the spot.
WIGGINS: Well last year a kid asked me to help get their parents back together -- her mother and father, and I said the only thing I could do is when I get to the North Pole I'll put in a good word to the big fellow.
MOOS: They sometimes ask about Santa's color.
WIGGINS: I tell them I got a suntan.
DEWITT: Right. You tell them I'm from the South Pole.
MOOS: Kids follow them as this Santa discovered in a men's room stall.
DEWITT: I see this head peek up and I'm standing there and he said oh, he is a Santa.
MOOS: At least being Santa is rarely ho, ho, ho, hum.
"SCROOGE": Altogether class, one last big ho, ho, ho. SANTA TRAINEES: Ho, ho, ho.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: You know you're having a bad day when Santa steals your bell.
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