Sharon Franklin calls her clients “the guys” and “my Santas.” The terms of endearment, dropped into sentences as she whizzes through the pros and cons of various Santa hairstyles, refer to the hundreds of gentlemen she’s helped impersonate Kriss Kringle.
“I’ve supplied the malls in and around Atlanta with, I like to think, some beautiful Santas,” Franklin says. She’s currently responsible for the hair of about 90 different St. Nicks; she bleaches, whitens, curls, straightens and does anything else needed to make her clients resemble flawless Father Christmases. “A lot of them resent having to put on a hat because they have such beautiful hair,” she says.
Franklin has styled Santas for more than 37 years. Originally, she and her sister, Joyce Biesel, owned a salon at Perimeter Mall. Perimeter asked the sisters to do its Santa’s hair for free. The duo agreed, hoping their work would attract female clients wanting a platinum blond hairdo. Instead, they received a flood of attention from wannabe Kriss Kringles.
“Every gentleman who aspired to be Santa called the mall wanting to know who in the world was doing Santa’s hair,” says Franklin. “That’s how we got started. Before we knew it, we were absolutely inundated by them, to the tune of 150 a season.”
Biesel died in 2013, and Franklin scaled back the operation from 150 to 200 Santas a season to 80 to 90. Currently, Franklin works in Mela Michael's salon in Roswell.
“I love every aspect of hair: cutting it, styling it, toning it, bleaching it, coloring it, highlighting it, everything. I don’t think there’s anything I cannot do in hair, and I don’t think there’s anything I haven’t done in hair. If I thought there was anything out there I needed to learn, I would go seek that education because I love it. I feel very blessed to have a career that I so dearly love,” says Franklin. “Very blessed.”
Her operation isn’t confined to Atlanta malls. Hair can make or break professional Santa Clauses, and many would rather travel than risk damaged whiskers. Her clients hail from as far away as Canada and New Mexico. One Minnesota Santa drove 12 hours to Franklin’s shop so she could handle his hair. A DJ from New York City hopped on a plane to Atlanta, went through one of her Santa transformations and then immediately headed back to the Big Apple. She’s been featured in Southern Living and Parade Magazine and on “Good Morning Atlanta.”
“I’m very meticulous, and it doesn’t bother me if it takes a couple of days,” says Franklin. “I’m willing to work however long it takes to get them perfect. I guess that’s why they keep coming back to me.”
Santa-fying can take anywhere from four hours to three days depending on the Santa’s age and natural hair color. Seasoned Santas bring snacks to their appointment; Franklin generally tries to do multiple St. Nicks at the same time so they can talk to each other. At a normal consultation, Franklin uses the latest hair products (she’s adamant about how important it is to keep up with new hair care trends and technology) to bleach beards, eyebrows and mustaches. Her Santas leave looking pristine; it’s up to them, however, to maintain their look on a day-to-day basis.
“It’s quite a regimen you have to do to care for these guys, from special shampoos to conditioners to treatment, but these guys are so willing to learn,” says Franklin. Some Santas get their hair styled for the Christmas season as early as Oct. 1. Others preserve the look — and visit Franklin for touch-ups — all year long. “They’ll stay maintained because they really enjoy looking like that. It’s kinda their signature.”
No two Santas are the same. Some portray a jovial, round-faced Father Christmas without a full beard while others aim for bushy whiskers.
“They’re playing the role of a character that’s hundreds of years old. There’s a look that’s been kind of ground in over the years, though certainly each one of them is unique in their design. Some of them have short hair and some have no hair on the top. I have one guy that wears a beard and a wig, but I do his eyebrows and mustache. There’s so many different types of them,” says the hairstylist. “But what’s most important is the spirit of the person, of how much they care about the children.”
Talking to Franklin — who wears her adoration for hairstyling, and specifically Santa-styling, on her sleeve alongside her impressive knowledge of the two subjects — is a reminder of how love originates in small, specific passions. She discusses the care and pride she takes in creating sublime St. Nicks, and it’s easy to picture kids telling their secret wishes to one of her Santas. A good experience with Kriss Kringle can inspire a lifelong love of the holiday; Franklin is a vital part of that chain.
“Taking care of them for as long as I have has been a real treat for me,” says Franklin. “It’s made me aware that there’s more in life than what I’m presently looking at.”
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