Behind the Beard : You see him all around Orange County at this time of year--the jolly old elf in a bright red suit. To keep Santa’s image out there, these men help spread the Christmas cheer.

George McDaniel says playing Santa makes him feel like rock star in a crowd of fans. Bank executive Frank Anderson remembers a meager childhood of hand-me-downs and wants to give back. And Billy Bowen plays St. Nick to help out his wife, who couldn’t get anyone else.

Santas come in all sizes, shapes, ages and backgrounds, and their reasons for sticking a pillow under their shirts and bellowing “Ho, Ho, Ho!” are as varied as the whiskers in a Kmart beard.

Some are professionals; others are amateurs who have always dreamed of playing Santa, and others get roped in as their hair whitens and waistlines expand. But, when you ask them why they play Santa, the answer seems always to come around to helping humanity in a fundamental way: giving a child reason to smile.

“I do it to see the look on their faces,” said Bowen, who was the volunteer Santa at a holiday party for residents of low-income housing in Santa Ana.

“Lots of these kids don’t have fathers. They’re looking for either an older brother or father figure. The girls at least have their mothers, but the boys need to have a model too. Santa’s a good role model.”

In character, Bowen’s face is nearly hidden by a frothy rim of white hair and a giant curly beard. What he lacks in authentic girth he makes up in enthusiasm as kids shyly circle his big Santa boots.

After a futile search for a Santa to donate his time for a charity event, Bowen--stepped in to play St. Nick for his wife, who organizes the huge annual event sponsored by the Civic Center Barrio Housing Corp. and Americorps Building Community Program.

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When Anderson, vice president of National Bank of Southern California’s Orange branch, steps into the role of Santa, it’s payback time.

“It’s giving back,” he says. “I grew up in a family that didn’t have enough. We weren’t dirt poor, but we were close to it. If we got anything, it was a hand-me-down. What you got was all there was.”

Now the 60-year-old bank executive owns his own Santa suit and for the 10th year is donning it for charity events throughout the season.

“Everybody likes Santa Claus,” he says. “For most of these kids, it’s the only gift they will get. It gives me personal gratification knowing I’m able to help both the kids and the adults rise above their situations, even if it’s just for one day.”

In the past few weeks, Anderson has bounced toddlers on his knee at an orphanage in Gardena, the Boys and Girls Club in Westminster, the St. Vincent De Paul Christmas party in Orange and the Hollenbeck Youth Council in Los Angeles, where more than 10,000 kids were given gifts donated by businesses.

McDaniel, vice president of National Bank of Southern California, plays Santa each year for the kick he gets from the kids at Kennedy Elementary School in Santa Ana.

“It’s like being Michael Jackson in a crowd,” says the 50-year-old San Clemente resident. “The first time I played Santa, there were probably 600 students cheering. I have never felt so special in my life. I was hooked.”

McDaniel, an African American who grew up in the South, says playing Santa is a way to give thanks. “There was always someone there for me,” he says. “I consider myself modestly successful, and a lot of that I trace to faith. It doesn’t happen without God. I’ve been fortunate. Maybe I can have a positive effect on other people’s lives.”

He says his experiences as Santa give him hope in a society filled with racial divisiveness.

“We’re all in this together,” he says. “Everyone faces challenges, but people are people . . . we’re all the same. All you have to do is look into a child’s face and see that.”

McDaniel’s Santa gig is part of National Bank of Southern California’s community outreach effort to support the Kennedy School. In the five years he has played the role, he has accumulated a wealth of satisfaction.

“I do it very selfishly because I get an absolute charge out of seeing these kids,” he says.

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What works on the volunteer circuit doesn’t always fly with Santas for hire--they are expected to have the look and manner down pat.

Santas hired by Western Temporary Services, with offices in Orange County and nationwide, must follow the Santa Do’s and Don’ts, according to Tani Demain, personnel consultant for Western’s Santa Monica office.

“Santa must always be in a good mood, must always have a twinkle in the eye, must always stay in character and must always refer to guardians as ‘folks’ because there is such a variety of living arrangements nowadays,” Demain says.

“As for the don’ts, Santa never promises a child anything; it’s always, ‘Santa will see what he can do.’ And Santa never smokes, drinks or flirts. Remember, he has Mrs. Claus in the North Pole.”

Demain says that for those who don’t have the standard Santa shape and facial hair, achieving the right look takes some work. “It’s a lot trickier than it looks,” she says. “You don’t want the beard straps to show; you have to keep the pillow straight and the suit flowing properly.”

The day a Santa--professional or volunteer--decides to hang up his beard and bag can be a tough one.

Hary Snowden, 38, began portraying Santa 17 years ago. Last year, believing that he no longer hit the mark of authenticity, Snowden retired his Santa suit. He said he looked in the mirror one day and decided he was neither old nor jolly enough to play the part and wanted to let the “real” Santas take over.

“I started taking a look at some of the Santas coming into the malls with their real beards and white hair. You can’t compete with these gentlemen,” he says. “These are the real Santas, and they are the ones sought after.”

Snowden, who runs the box office at Saddleback College, spent seven years as the Brea Mall Santa and another half dozen years as a singing Santa for parties. He hopes someday to return to the role.

“I see myself going back in maybe 15 or 20 years,” says the Lake Forest resident. “I know a lot of the gentlemen now are in their 50s or 60s, and it’s a nice touch at that age. I have a lot of respect for them.”

If anyone can attest to the authenticity demands of mall Santas it is Richard Lintz, currently the county’s most famous Santa.

Lintz, 68, is the Mission Viejo Mall Santa who was fired because his whiskers weren’t white enough. He was quickly rehired in early December after a flood of complaints over the firing.

Mall Santas have not changed that much over the years, but the public seems to be more concerned about real hair and real beards, according to Lintz. He says good Santas should have vigor and a sense of fun.

“If a Santa doesn’t have any vitality, it spoils it,” he says. “You have to maintain a fun attitude.”

After a season of unsought publicity, Lintz says, he will retire as Santa this year and return to obscurity.

“I think it will be my last year. I want to shave this beard off and go back to being me.”