Dundee, Illinois
1962 – Current

International Santa Claus Hall of Fame Charter Member – December 2010

If ever there was a man born to be Santa Claus it is Phillip L. Wenz. As a four-year-old, he put on his first Santa outfit. By fourteen, he was appearing as Santa Claus in his first parade.

At twenty-three, he became the year-round Santa Claus for Santa’s Village Theme Park in Dundee, Illinois, a relationship he has maintained for more than 30 years, making him the longest-tenured Santa in the park’s 58-year history. As one of the very few number of full-time professional Santa Claus performers, he appears in costume more than 200 days a year.

Wenz has appeared in more than 60 Christmas parades, including the nationally televised parades in Chicago and Houston, where he also emceed the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremonies.

WGN-TV named him “Chicago’s Very Own,” and he has received the Brass Ring Award for Best Theme Park Commercial from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the “Hats Off 2 Houston” award from KPRC-TV, and the “Spirit of St. Nicholas” award in Detroit.

Beyond performing, Wenz is the leading authority on the history, legend, and folklore of Santa Claus.

In April 2008, Wenz authored the Santa Claus Oath in April 2008, a set of eight principles for Santa Claus performers, inspired by legends Jim Yellig and Charles W. Howard.

He introduced it publicly at the 2009 worldwide Santa Claus Convention in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where more than 650 Santas recited its principles together.

In December 2010, he was enshrined as a charter member of the Santa Claus Hall of Fame in Santa Claus, Indiana, the first living Santa to receive that honor.