ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Monday, December 23, 1996              TAG: 9612230128
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1    EDITION: METRO 

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE SANTA? THEY ALL WANT TO MAKE BELIEVERS OUT OF YOU

One says he's the coolest Santa. Another says - at 175 pounds - he's in the best shape of any Santa in town. But all of these would-be Santas, or Santa's helpers, agree that they have one thing in common: a love of children.

O MANY SANTAS, SO LITTLE TIME. How do you choose?

Probably out of convenience. You're shopping at Valley View anyway, and Santa is there, and you still have presents to buy for Aunt Pauline and Uncle Stu, and for your sister Kate in New Hampshire, and the kids are getting cranky, and you just want to go home. So, why not?

But maybe you like to shop around a little - for the most authentic Santa. Well, we thought we would do a little shopping for you and offer this Santa-by-Santa guide to the Roanoke Valley's most prominent Santas, the ones at the big malls and at Fantasyland in downtown Roanoke.

A 1996 survey by General Growth Properties says the average mall Santa is 54 years old, stands 5 feet, 8 inches, weighs 221 pounds and has a 42-inch waist.

How well do ours stack up? Judge for yourself.

LENGTH: Short :   49 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:   1. DON PETERSEN/Staff. Santa Kevin Davis is on duty at 
          Tanglewood Mall: He doesn't claim to be the best Santa in the 
          Roanoke Valley, but he does claim to be in the best shape. At 175 
          pounds, he must stuff a pillow under his costume to give him extra 
          bulk. 2. Crossroad's Mall's Santa is John Keyser:  His claims to 
          being Roanoke's best Santa are that he loves the kids and makes 
          talking with him a fun experience. 3. Valley View Mall's Santa is 
          D.J. Reed:  He says he's the coolest Santa because his young age 
          helps him understand kids. 4. Allen Levin has been "Santa-ing" at 
          Towers Mall for 12 years: Levin says he's the best among Santa's 
          "helpers" because his beard is real and because he has graduate 
          degrees and teaching experience that help him better to relate to 
          children. 5. NHAT MEYER/Staff. Tom Williams, a 50-year-old father of
          two, is the Santa at Fantasyland at Center in the Square on the 
          Roanoke City Market. He shies from calling himself the best Santa: "
          I hate to compete that way because I think anybody who has chosen to
          do this is a special person. I'm trying to get the kids to 
          understand that Christmas isn't about getting; it's about giving." 
          color.