When you're in charge of the entertainment for the big Christmas extravaganza at the community center or your child's school, you aren't expected to book something original. All the kids want to see is the man from the North Pole. As soon as he arrives in his red suit, your job is done. Before that you have the responsibility of finding the best Dallas Santa for hire there is.

You might be able to talk a child's dad or grandfather into playing the role, unless you don't trust them to take the job seriously. If no one is available, you will have to get in touch with a talent agency. Santas can't have criminal records, especially when children are involved. Getting the fingerprints of the person you are considering hiring should be easy. The local police station may run the prints for you for free.

If you're going to find the perfect person for the part, you must start early. August may seem awfully far out to be booking a Christmas act, but agencies say they start getting calls from repeat customers around this time. Waiting until after Halloween will probably mean that the only performers still available are the ones no one else wanted.

If you have a lot of kids attending the event, you've got to plan for enough time for each one to sit on Santa's lap, have a short conversation, and take a picture. Agencies estimate that most Santas can handle about 50 kids per hour if they rush. This isn't ideal, and you should figure on about 4 minutes per child to keep everybody happy.

If your venue includes a fireplace, and you have the great idea of positioning the performer right next to it, agencies will tell you that you're making a mistake. The padding and the suit will get uncomfortably hot very quickly causing the actor to take frequent breaks. A throne in the middle of the room is a much better choice. Be sure to have your phone handy before the actor arrives so you can make your big announcement before someone spots him standing outside.

You might be considering hiring elves and a Mrs. Claus. The professionals say that unless you have a huge space, and a lot of kids, too many characters can be overwhelming. A better idea is to let Santa be the center of attention and hire face painters and balloon artists to keep the youngsters in line occupied.

You probably need to discuss with the agency representative what employers can and can't ask Santas to do during the party. Talking to kids and taking pictures is certainly part of the job. Handing out presents, reading Christmas stories and leading the group in favorite carols is also appropriate.

Taking on the entertainment responsibilities for this kind of event can be nerve wracking. Mr. Claus is an important man in the lives of small children. To avoid traumatizing them with a bad Santa, you must plan ahead and choose wisely.