Given the fact that most of the movers & shakers in the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas were also among the most active "Git-'Er-Done-ers" from our beloved AORBS (PRE-inc., of course!!!), our seemingly-astonishing growth rate is , therefore, quite understandable! We have a GREAT leadership, we have the blessing (and membership) of THE ORIGINAL FOUNDER of that misfortunate & hapless group, and WE HAVE SANTA TIM!!!

Now, I'm no Vegas bookie, but I'm willing to give odds to any casual taker that FORBS WILL HAVE 1,000 MEMBERS WITHIN FIVE YEARS!!! Full voting membership is limited only to "Those who have portrayed Santa Claus and who maintain a real beard for that purpose", and non-voting membership includes Mrs. Clauses who are either married to, or have worked WITH a member in the past. Elves are also qualified, if they have worked with a FORBS Santa.

Now, we ALL know the story of how the ORIGINAL AORBS started with 10 Santas selected to do a commercial for a German catalog company, and how they whimsically decided to rejoin one another after their busy Seasons, to swap tales and tips. We know how, through nothing more than word of mouth,

their numbers gradually began to increase after the first few such "reunions" (mostly through the efforts of Santa Tom Hartsfield, THE FOUNDER OF AORBS); we also know how Santa Tim Connaghan took the helm of a group then numbering around a hundred or so, and over the next five or six years grew the rolls to about THIRTEEN HUNDRED-- with that group eventually circling the globe! Finally, we know how a large handful of Santas pooled their ideas and efforts to spawn the FIRST EVER INTERNATIONAL REAL-BEARDED SANTA CONVENTION, in 2006, in Branson, MO! [...and if you DON'T know the whole story, you will REALLY enjoy the Official Corp-ography of AORBS, which I am writing with the blessings and cooperation of Santa Tom, who has graciously shared with yours truly all of his ORIGINAL photographs, clippings, etc-- including a rare print of the original OTTO Versand commercial, shot on Brownstone Street at Universal Studios way back in 1994!. The working title for this upcoming book is "North Pole Meltdown: A Cautionary Tale"-- and, being fact-based, it will have heroes and villains and everything!!! At this point, there is rapidly-growing interest, and I eventually hope to be able to share an abridged version for free with any former AORBS member who wants one, in digital format (protected by Creative Commons)-- and I am desperately hoping for the blessing & cooperation of other key figures in this tale of woe & hope, as it continues to coalesce for me...]

But back to the purpose of this post: IF YOU HAVEN'T YET JOINED FORBS, I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO DO SO NOW !!! You see, excluding my hero, Santa Tim Connaghan, I'm not the jealous sort, by nature -- but I clearly recall how I admired those Santas who had years & years of AORBS under their capacious belts before I found the group 5 or 6 years ago! I wished I could have played a more prominant role in the planning & execution of the Branson Convention (due to contractual production obligations, I couldn't even ATTEND...)-- and later still, I will freely admit that I was distinctly un-Santa-like in my disappointment when I wasn't chosen for an AORBS Board position, for which I volunteered as eagerly & hopefully as dozens of other Santas! I was somewhat mollified by the opportunity to serve as Inland Empire Lodge Director, and I like to think that I acquitted myself admirably (or at least adequately) while fulfilling that role! I DO know that I helped a number of my fellow Jolly Jents of the IE Lodge to increase their web-savvy, along with their public profiles-- and in some cases, presumably, their incomes!

There will soon come a day, my friends, when FORBS will enjoy the same cachet and reputation which once attached to AORBS-- and there will be innumerable future members who will cast furtive but envious glances at those badges and other accoutrements identifying one as a Charter Member of the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas! I'm not talking about anything petty or malicious, of course-- Santas are too noble and kind-hearted for that-- but I think some of you can identify with me on this one: whenever a lot of us gathered together, I ENVIED THE FOUNDERS AND OTHER OLD-TIMERS IN AORBS!!! They inspired me with their tales of derring-do, and their casual & comfortable familiarity with one another!

If you're ALREADY a Charter Member, encourage your fellows to join before it's too late to be one, as well-- there are already those urging the Board to cut off the Charter Member qualifying period, but at this point, the deadline has been moved back for at least a couple of more weeks! Furthermore, if you're already a Charter Member, I urge you to band together with other local Santas to form your own FORBS Chapter, as well: current officially-chartered chapters are still in the single digits, which will ALSO surely become a point of pride to future generations of Santas in your area!!! If you've been thinking about it, DO IT NOW!!!