The wonder and excitement of Christmas would be significantly reduced were it not for the thousands of helpers who jump into action to assist Santa and Mrs. Claus each holiday season.

These dedicated helpers show up at special events, parades and tree lightings throughout the nation, listening to requests from children.

In southern Chester County, longtime Santa helpers Fran and Andrea Durynski of London Grove are proud of this avocation. They admit, however, that it takes more than sitting in a chair and giving ear to children’s desires.

Mrs. Santa, 80, said the satisfaction has never abated, even after several decades, but there is more.

“There’s nothing like the feeling when they cheer you when they see you coming into town, or when they grab your hand when you walk. … That’s the best,” she said.  

With it all, she and Santa, 76, have stories to tell about the complexities of the adventure.

One issue is scheduling.  Being the most prominent Santa and Mrs. Claus in the area, they get many requests for their appearances from public and private parties, so they start filling their calendar in November.

Mrs. Claus said sometimes the requested appearances are scheduled close together, not to mention that she and Santa are fitting their gigs into their ordinary workaday lives. Recently they had to schedule two appearances in one day with only an hour between the two. The challenge was to finish up in Oxford and then drive to Pocopson to get there on time.

Santa’s helpers don’t have the luxury of reindeer, like North Pole Santa Claus, either. They drive to gigs in their car.

Their destinations often involve arriving at locations where many people have already shown up to await their arrival, having used up the local parking places. The Santas have to make sure that they will have a parking area awaiting them.

Then there is the issue of returning to their parked car when the event is finished. When their job involves a parade, they start in one place and end up at another.

Thanks to the generosity of local police, they are routinely given a ride back to the starting point and their car.

“The Southern Chester County Police have a really nice car with lots of leg room,” Santa said.

Mrs. Claus added that her memory of transportation turns to arriving in the fire truck and navigating the high step down from truck to parking lot. It’s a big step for this elderly couple, who depend on a hand from the firefighters, who themselves routinely make easy work of it.

She also mentioned the rides in parades they have made through the years.

At one time, it was in a horse and carriage pulled by equines, Jake and Jasper. More recently it is in the back seat of antique car aficionado Lou Mandich’s 1918 Packard Touring Car. She’s pleased when he arrives with it decorated for the holiday.

Not many people have Santa Claus costumes in their homes. Mrs. Claus said the initial costumes she and her husband wear have lasted through the years. She recalled that, one season, they got the costumes out ahead of time and sent them to the cleaners. They came back with the white trim having been turned pink.

“We got it fixed in time,” she said.

The high point for the Santas and Mrs. Clauses is the response from the children – even from infants under a year old.

They love it.

There are occasionally children who have no interest or who throw tantrums, but overwhelmingly it is gratifying for Santa and Mrs. Claus to spend time with the adoring and appreciative children and their parents. Children often surround them and take their hand when they arrive. Some parents even send the Clauses “thank you” notes after their kids have out-grown the tradition.

Santa said recently one child gave him a quarter from his pocket. Another told him to go quickly to Walmart because the store was having a sale.

“If I had a dollar for every kid who yelled ‘Hey Santa,’ [on our arrival] I could retire,” Santa said.

Mrs. Claus said the most common requests are for dolls, Legos iPhones and bikes. The most unusual request was for a chainsaw. This year they had several requests for a gum ball machine.

“I don’t know why,” she said.

Increasingly, the clientele for Santa visits has widened to include animals.

Mrs. Claus said she is fine with that – she even embraces it.

“We see all shapes and sizes of dogs. We’ve also had rabbits, goats, cats, miniature horses and even a potbellied pig named Pickle,” she said.

Mrs. Claus said it never seems to get old—just better.

“We’ve seen three generations of families—parents, children, grandchildren. You would recognize their names, especially from the Kennett Square area. This year we have been shown photos from previous years when the children were tiny. The youngest this year was 6 weeks old, and we have five sets of twins at one event,” she said.

The Durynskis, who have served as Santa’s helpers for the better part of three decades, succeeded the late Mike Berzon, who served for almost 25 years in Kennett Square. This year they expanded their service to the West Chester area at the Thornbury Christmas Celebration that included refreshments and vendors.

Mrs. Claus said it was a visit that she would like to make again.