Reneé Davis — CEO of Santa Express, a Santa-for-hire business — makes gestures to children during the Photos with Cowboy Kringle event in Gruene on Dec. 17.San Antonio probably won’t have a white Christmas this year — or any year. No tree tops glistening, no sleigh bells in the snow.
Born on Dec. 23 — the eve of Christmas eve — Davis has always had a passion for Christmas. Growing up on U.S. Air Force bases in Japan, Germany and the Phillipines, her father would dress up as Santa, climb atop their home and beat the roof while calling out the names of Santa’s reindeer. She describes herself on her company’s website as “senior elf,” but she often plays Mrs. Claus. She met her husband, Gene, after hiring him to be one of her first Santas. They fell in love while they were locked by mistake inside the Wonderland of the Americas mall overnight, struggling to attract the attention of a security guard patrolling the grounds outside, she said.It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Davis takes Santa very seriously.
She recently sat with the Express-News to describe how the image of Santa has changed over the years, the importance of children being able to visit a Santa who looks like them, and what, exactly, makes a good ho-ho. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.My absolute favorite is “White Christmas.” I love Bing Crosby. I sing it all the time. One of my favorite things about Christmas is family getting together for a meal. It’s not about the presents.