2018 December Colony Magazine

COLONY PEOPLE
Becoming Santa
Charley Carlin’s Saint Nick is a year-round commitment
As his wife whips up a
latte in the kitchen,
Charley Carlin uses
the opportunity to
hand his guest a business card.
“I carry these with me all the
time, year round,” he says.
Instead of the usual name, title
and place of business, this 4-by-6
card features a painted image of
Santa Claus modeled after Carlin,
a longtime Atascadero resident.
“The directions are on the
back,” he says.
A flip of the card reveals a simple
message: “Be good!”
Not surprisingly, Carlin hands
out more of these cards after
Thanksgiving – when he dons
his red hat for the first time in
his official capacity as North
County Santa. But with his thick
white beard, rounded belly and
approachable smile, he is “recognized”
year-round. No matter
where he travels, he gets the celebrity
treatment, even if no one
knows his actual name.
Instead, he’s Pape Noel in Chile,
Jólasveinn in Iceland or, most
often, just Santa.
“I get recognized no matter
where I am,” said Carlin, who
recently spent 40 days traveling
the Baltics – with a Santa-esque
pass over the Arctic Circle – with
his wife, Anet.
And, of course, he doesn’t try to
avoid the attention.
“I wear a lot of things that
are red anyway,” he says, wearing
a shirt featuring dozens of
red chili peppers.
Carlin will take up his usual
Santa duties in Paso Robles this
year, appearing at the Vine Street
Victorian Christmas Showcase,
the Christmas Light Parade and
his temporary house in City Park.
In photos from the 70s, Carlin
looked like he could pass for a
member of a Laurel Canyon rock
band. But his hair began to turn
white at 40, and -- like Tim Allen
in “The Santa Clause” -- he
has seemingly morphed into the
jolly elf. Given his striking similarity
to Saint Nick, about 15 years
ago, Anet first offered his services
as Santa to the holiday parade in
By Patrick Pemberton
San Luis Obispo.
The two met decades ago, when
Anet, a relocated Texan, taught
theatre in San Luis Obispo.
“He was my student at Cuesta
College and hit on me,”
she remembers. “I said, ‘I am
your teacher!’”
Ten years later, she
finally relented.
“Please don’t represent me as a
cradle robber,” she pleads, to which
Charley quickly responds with a
smile: “Or me as a grave robber.”
Charley, who went on to earn
a degree in computer science and
mathematics from Cal Poly, became
a computer expert, working
for many years as a senior computer
support staffer at PG&E. Anet
was a player in the local arts scene,
becoming instrumental in the formation
of the popular PCPA theatre
program in Solvang and the
Great American Melodrama and
Vaudeville in Oceano. For a few
years, the two even hosted regular
theatre performances in their
backyard. The Brickyard Theatre,
with 12 performances a year, raised
money for local non-profits, including
Hospice of SLO.
Of course, it makes sense that
they’d be giving – this is Santa
Claus, after all. And, for Santa,
charity isn’t just local. The Carlins
have also raised tens of thousands
of dollars to build a Tibetan school
for girls in Northern India.
“I’m out to make the world a
better place,” says Charley, 68, just
like a Santa character in a Hallmark
Channel movie.
Luckily, he married someone
with a similar sentiment. Anet,
who became a Buddhist in 1963,
speaks fondly of helping girls in
India get an education.
“The idea of doing something to
help children that far away is like a
dream of mine,” Anet says.
The school is located amid rugged
terrain – and often snowed
in. Yet, the couple still plans
to visit sometime within the
year, even if that requires some
physical exertion.
“I hiked the Himalayas when
I was 50,” Anet says. “And
I’m 78 now.”
A look at their home reveals
that this is a couple that values
travel – and art. And, of course,
some of that art includes depictions
of Santa. No matter where
they go – be it Russia, Sweden,
Greenland or Germany – they try
to pick up Santa mementos.
It’s sort of like research.
“We’ve been checking to see
how Santa is portrayed across the
world,” Charley says.
But for now, they’re sticking to
North County for the holidays.
And once Charley dons his official
Santa digs, he’ll get mobbed
by little kids, whether it’s at the
popular Vine Street event or the
local grocery store.
“In December, it might take an
hour to get a loaf of bread,” he said.
14 | colonymagazine.com COLONY Magazine, December 2018