The formatting in this e-ARC was awful. Large amounts of phrases repeated several times on each page. At first I thought I'd be able to manage, but this happened to me page after page and was incredibly distracting and frustrating. I was really looking forward to finally read this; I know, I know this book was published in 2020,and I should have read this sooner than 3 years later!

A glimpse into the life of over fifty professional santas who help out during the Christmas season. Ron Cooper portrays these santas beautifully with pictures in and out of their red suit. Alongside these portraits you read stories about their jobs and anecdotes that spread Christmas cheer.
These santas went to school to become good enough to work for the real Santa. Yes, you heard that right. To become a professional santa you have to study and learn the ropes. They have to do an exam and get a certificate so Santa can hire them to help out. When they pass, they probably celebrate with lots of hot chocolate and candy canes.
Some of them have been a santa for decades, and some just for a couple of years. Though it never gets dull and the children never cease their amazement when they spot the fur lining and the white beard. They tell each of them their wishes, and they can only hope that Santa puts them under the tree.
Just like every person in the world, every santa is a little different. Some santas have a beard that's curly, while others look like fluff. Some have long beards that look like a blankets, while others are short and proud. They each have their own unique Santa suit, based on their favorites from Santa's closet.
Though most importantly, they are here to make Christmas a succes. How would Santa ever know what every child wants if there was no one to help him out? You better think about that when you sit on his lap the next time.
Ron Cooper shows to be an amazing photographer, as his photos capture the beauty of each santa, in and out of their iconic suit. It's raw and mesmerizing, the transformation from one to the other. As soon as they put on their gear, they become a different person. a real santa. Accompanied by funny and touching stories of each santa, it makes a wonderful book to look through. You can feel the true passion that each of these men have to make the children happy and bring a smile to their faces. A true delight to learn about these men and their journeys to work for the jolliest man on the planet.

What a fun and charming idea for a book! We Are Santa by Rob Cooper started with in introduction about how the authour came to this project as well as the history of Santa.

Then the fun began. There were several different Santas. Each profile had photos of each Santa in his Santa suit as well as his street clothes. I loved seeing the different Santa costumes that each man clearly takes pride in. Then there was a little bio on them and some of their stories.

This was just a delightful read. I think anyone who loves Christmas and Santa would find this fun.

I received an eARC from Princeton Architectural Press through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

We Are Santa: Portraits and Profiles is an excellent collection of the bios of different Santas.

This photography collection with small biographies and interests of different Santas is super cool. It was a great way to help get into the Christmas spirit and read about how people got into the job of playing Santa (in his place, of course. He can't be everywhere!). It was one amazing collection and such a unique one. It's something I haven't seen before, so I am completely impressed.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Princeton Architectural Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

We Are Santa
Ron Cooper, 2020
New Release! A digital copy of this book was provided by Netgalley for the purpose of review.

Wow. WOW WOW WOW. This might be "just" a coffee table book, but it charmed my socks off.

The premise is simple. Photographer Ron Cooper recruited fifty professional Santas (talking to and interviewing even more) and took gorgeous photographs of them both in and out of costume. The book includes quotes, profiles of some Santas, and background information. The additional info is enough to establish some context for readers who might not be familiar with the history of Santa's look or the reality of the professional Santa gig, but it's not tedious even for those of us who know this world fairly well already.

The variety is fantastic. Santas in red but also other colors, in robes and coats and pajamas and kilts and cowboy boots and military camo and a pirate-theme and... Of course, there are lots of lovely fur trimmings, but also Hawaiian shirts, one in a red velvet top hat, and one in a full Bishop of Myra getup.

The focus is the big beautiful photos and the lush costumes and beards galore, but the book is also peppered with personal profiles that provide more depth for some Santas - why or how they started as Santa, favorite memories, and poignant anecdotes.

There are two black Santas, one Mrs. Claus, at least one Jewish Santa, and two young Santas in the book. I would have liked a little more diversity in those directions if possible, but maybe that's another book.

Overall this is just lovely and joyful, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the holiday aesthetic or in need of a visual hug. Plus, proceeds are going to Children's Hospital of Chicago.

The only hard thing about reading this book was realizing that in-person Santa visits are not happening for most kids this year. Here at Mainlining Christmas, we hope all Santas are doing okay out there.

(Link is not live, scheduled for 12/3)

I absolutely loved this book. The photographs of all the Santas are amazing. Each Santa has a before and after photo so you can see the transformation. The stories are also wonderful.

So Many Santas!

This book certainly puts one in the Christmas spirit. The author provides pictures, quotes, and some profiles of men who dress up as Santa Claus. We see pictures of the men as they are in their normal lives and in their Santa suits. Most of the men, as you might expect, are older, though there is at least one 20-something in the book as well. While most look like the traditional Coca-Cola version of Santa, several have given the look a unique spin, like Scottish-kilted Santa (who’s a bagpiper, nonetheless!) and patriotic Santa. A few look more like what I imagine when I think of the English Father Christmas. The profiles and quotes provided are inspiring. These men have gotten into being Santa for the right reasons, creating holiday magic for children and adults alike. If you love Christmas as I do, this is a perfect coffee-table book to have it out for the holidays. It will most likely provoke your own Santa memories.

Cooper's look into the lives of people who play Santa and how they interpret the costume was a wonderful journey across Christmas. Being Santa is a calling and the best ones live and breathe the spirit of caring and giving. This spirit was reflected in the fantastic photographs and interesting biographies. We Are Santa is a must have for any holiday shelf.

Thank you NetGalley and Princeton Architectural Press for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. There are so many different Santas With such beautiful loves and stories as well as Mrs. Clauses. I love that the main goal when being Santa is to give children and adults a magical experience. I think the project of interviewing different Santas was a wonderful idea. I cannot believe how many schools exist that train Santas so well. Not only are they mall Santas; they attend private and corporate events, they sing songs and tell stories, etc. Their magic expands further than just listening to a gift request from a child. I recommend this book to anyone that is a lover of Christmas and anyone who has gotten to know Christmas yet. Thank you for reading.

We Are Santa: Portraits and Profiles by Ron Cooper is guaranteed to bring joy to anyone who loves Christmas! A look at several men from across America who keep the magic of Santa alive, this book gave me a new appreciation of their commitment to and love of their not-only seasonal job.

My thanks to Ron Cooper for putting together this happy book, and to all those who take the time to spread the love and spirit of Christmas in this way.

My thanks also to NetGalley and Princeton Architectural Press for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

What a lovely and unique charming book. Great artistic pictures of different kind of Santas. I really enjoyed reading and seeing this book. Great for the coming winter to enjoy and look at.

I loved this book!

It is a great portrait of Santa and I loved seeing the different outfits and characters that wear the suit. I love the idea of Santa schools too and it is fabulous that Mrs Clause also got a mention!

Here in the UK we tend to have standard Santa’s so it was fabulous to see that in the US there are patriotic, traditional and a little out there Santa’s!

It is 5 stars from me for this one, a great coffee table Christmas read – fabulous!

It's August, 2020 sucks, what the heck, I'm gonna read a book about Santa Claus. This book is so cheery. I knew that being "Santa" was a legitimate professional thing that some people do, and even that there were schools to become a better performer. We Are Santa features 50 profiles of men (and one woman!) who do the Santa gig professionally, and there's so much joy in all of their photos. The author kept repeating that there is no other figure in the world like Santa Claus that brings the same mixture of happiness, warmth, joy, safety, and glee than the man himself, and I would have to agree. There is clear passion for the job among all the individuals featured. They do all look the same, but they're also uniquely different. Some have been doing it for literal decades, some for only a few years. I was surprised at the age range featured as well. Certainly there were some older men, but a lot of younger men who just happened to grow a white beard early in life as well. The youngest Santa featured in the book started when he was just seven, and is still under 20 years old. Hey, if you have the passion, go for it! Each Santa profile consists of two photos, one out of costume and one in costume. We also get to learn where the Santas come from, and what their (non-Santa) profession is. It was interesting to notice that a lot of the Santas came from the same professions such as carpenter (an obvious one) or US military (all the Santas featured are American), and now I'm wondering if there is something inherently joyful and bumbling in being a sales representative. While it still may be summer, this book certainly brought some Christmas joy into my life, if only for a little while. It's a fun little book to flip through if you want to be reminded of some of the good things in the world.

Read if you: Want a beautiful and charming Christmas read.

I am not one of those people who love Christmas year round. While I enjoy getting together with family, holiday lights, etc, reading a Christmas book in August is not something I would normally do. However, this is the time during which I start planning holiday book orders (for adults) for the library, and this year, I'm cutting down on new holiday entertaining/party ideas books (for obvious reasons), but still want to order new holiday books.

This is a beautiful collection of portraits and stories about Santas in the United States. Photographs capture the men in both their Santa attire and in regular clothes. While most adopt the standard "Coca Cola" Santa garb, a few dress differently, either as the traditional St. Nicholas look, patriotic Santa, or even showing off their tattoos. Most are retired from their regular careers, although we do meet a 19 year old Santa! While the majority of the Santas are white, two are African-American.

We also learn about "Santa school," the enormous thought, work, and care the Santas take when appearing as Santa, how they deal with unexpected and sad situations, and more.

It's a delightful and charming read, and I think it will be a great balm during a potentially unusual Christmas this year.

Librarians/booksellers: Christmas 2020 will likely be very different for many people, for a variety of reasons. You might not be ordering as many books about holiday entertaining. This is a a sweet book to escape into during the season.

Many thanks to Princeton Architectural Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly thought this book was charming, I really enjoyed it! I love the idea and I adore the before and after shots. Being able to see them transform from simple, humble men, to their own personal interpretation of jolly Saint Nick. They were all different and I found it really fascinating.

The only thing I would have liked more of was the outfits themselves. Highlighting individual pieces or props, what makes that item so important, how many different pieces make up the overall look etc.

I think this would make a lovely, thoughtful gift for any family that loves celebrating Christmas.