YT21 | Stories from Santa of Singapore – The man behind the red suit

On this festive Christmas episode of YanaTV we welcome a special guest – none other than Santa Claus of Singapore himself, played by Peer Metze! Delving into the Christmas spirit, we discover how Santa travels and hear heartwarming tales from Santa’s experiences, including visits to families and mental institutions. 

Peer shares his journey from being a child inspired by his father to becoming Santa in Singapore, emphasising the importance of tradition and spreading unconditional love during the holiday season. Don’t miss the wonderful stories and insights as Santa reveals the magic behind bringing joy to people’s lives!

Discussion Topics: Stories from Santa of Singapore

• Introducing Santa Claus
• Becoming Santa: Santa’s origin and how Peer became Santa.
• The Most Memorable Moment as Santa: Bringing joy to a sick child.
• What are the Places that Santa Visit: Mental institutions, companies, and airports.
• Challenges of Being Santa: The effort behind the joyful character.
• Christmas in Asia vs. Europe: What are the differences?
• Santa’s Christmas Wish: Don’t forget the tradition of Santa Claus.
• Closing Remarks

Transcript: Stories from Santa of Singapore

Yana Fry: Welcome to YanaTV. Today we have a really unusual guest. (Enters Santa Claus) In the spirit of Christmas, how did you get to the studio? I just feel like now that little girl inside me doing a happy dance, that finally I have a real Santa in real life sitting in front of me here. I’m just wondering how you hear these days? Is it still dears or carriages or how Santa travels?

Peer Metze: Yes, but I have only Rudolph in front. Before Christmas, I don’t use all the reindeer, so they’re going to be exhausted at Christmas. So I only have Rudolph. But he has to go with me. I still come with my sleigh. 

Yana Fry: Santa, how was your year? What did you do for the entire year?

Peer Metze: What did you do for the entire year? And letters, right? There are so many heavy goods.

Yana Fry: And letters, right? There are so many children who are writing letters to you. So I’m just wondering, is it still, pen and paper, people’s, or emails, or TikTok? What is the best way right now for you?

Peer Metze: We have really opened up all channels since so many countries want to be environmentally friendly, we also do that, and everyone can send WhatsApp, everything, TikTok, and every channel can be used.

Yana Fry: Santa. I’m just so happy that I am trying to find the words to express how I feel right now inside and what we are going to find out at the moment, who is the man behind Inside as the Santa who is sitting in the studio today? So let’s see. And he is the man who is Santa himself. Peer Metze. Correct. Where are you from, Peer?

Peer Metze: I’m from Germany originally near Berlin.

Yana Fry: Near Berlin. I love this city. I love the city of Berlin. How on earth did you decide to become Santa?

Peer Metze: Let’s start at the beginning. When I was a child, my father was Santa Claus every year, and we as children were waiting for our father. They delivered Christmas presents.

And that was a tradition every year and then we changed into a fairy tale costume, and then we did something for our parents. So from there, that was probably the basics. Later, when I had my daughter and some friends, who were also the same age, they asked me to do it. And then I said, Yeah, why not?

So I went around a little bit with families and then many years no more. But then I came to Singapore and then I started acting a little bit. And once you are acting somewhere, then someone comes to you and says, Why don’t you do Santa Claus? And I say, oh yeah, why not? And then suddenly became Santa Claus. And that was in 2007.

Yana Fry: Is that when you came to Singapore or did you come here earlier?

Peer Metze: Came a bit early, I came in 2004. It

Yana Fry: And why did you come?

Peer Metze: It was a job in the first place, I think.

Yana Fry: So you come to Singapore, curious. Was your first impression here?

Peer Metze: I was here before actually on a short trip some layover flights and I visited Orchard Road, and I was looking for something specific, to be and then I got a first glimpse Singapore, and I thought Whoa, a busy town so much different, because I came from the Maldives, and then went, continued to Indonesia, which is, of a totally level. And thought wow, I didn’t expect to be so modern. Maybe in my mind I still like Asia but it’s not true. The same happened when I went to China, I was like, I didn’t expect But I think it’s something you grow up with. You never go somewhere and then you still believe there’s a fishing village or something, but it’s not.

Yana Fry: Very far from that. Okay, so you came and did some boring job, and then you became Santa. It has been many years. I’m curious to ask you a few questions about this journey and what happened. Find it fascinating.

You go to people’s homes and, It’s a very time when everyone expects miracles and they want their dreams to be fulfilled. So over those years is an interesting story? I just worried that something happened that you didn’t or that surprised Santa.

Peer Metze: Yeah, there’s the most stories. It’s like it’s always when Children are really into it. When Children believe in Santa or just Maybe they don’t believe in Santa, but the moment they see Santa, it’s a change.

That is always the best event. Even the parents, come maybe with a bad mood, maybe just had a problem, and then they see Santa, and suddenly, everything is forgotten then smile and then start smiling and then that’s Really and you see it. You see them coming. That’s Oh, wow, I’m in a bad mood. And then suddenly Santa and the children say, Santa And smile. That was best.

Yana Fry: We just had this experience. We just had a few when we also, you as Santa, the whole team was like, you can feel it’s much in our we associate Santa something very festive, positive. It was almost miraculous, is this grandpa pretty much who is there to fulfil wishes, and I think it’s a wonderful tradition.

Peer Metze: It is and something, you say tradition, is something where I sometimes feel gets lost in new times stress and hectic, where do people forget about it and live that Santa Claus not only the Coca Cola guy, who delivers presents, some more behind it. Christmas is basically like New Year. Film Families are supposed to come together once a year and celebrate and feast and so on. That’s the idea. It gets lost sometimes it’s the Western world, lost sometimes and it’s a bit sad.

Yana Fry:  It’s wonderful and also sad at the time to have to wait for Christmas to remember that there is magic in life.

Peer Metze: Yeah.

Yana Fry: You also, some decided that want to be up like an, first of all, it’s Academy and then like an Alliance, we have Santa Claus Alliance Singapore. And there are other people also playing this. Did that come about?

Peer Metze: Yes. It is because. The bookings one day work. It was to do alone then with my friends and since I was a little bit well in Singapore, you get to know Caucasian friends, let’s say. People prefer Caucasian Santa Claus. It’s like a traditional look so my friends wanted to do that then became more and then I thought about giving it to a Santa Claus Academy because Singapore is an educational super hub, yeah? So the academy always sounds great. But then people were confused and they thought academy and I’m teaching to become a. And one good friend just said last time, why don’t you call an alliance, maybe better, now, it’s not really an academy. But, I thought, yeah, that’s actually a better word. A loose connection of friends. Which is, has the same idea and the same purpose. What

Yana Fry: What was your personal favourite Christmas as a Santa?

Peer Metze: It’s a tricky question. There was once a family that was Actually, the son was very sick. And wanted to see Santa. And I agreed to it. And It didn’t fit time wise. And the family wanted to have me and it didn’t fit. And then came there, I But And The son had actually already passed away, still in the house. So I delivered my presents at that moment, not knowing that he had, that she was not awake yet realised. And then I realised that was and delivered my presents. I wish them all the best. And the family and then, um, the son got his last wish. That was very memorable, let’s say.

The best ones are always where you run towards hugging you just out of nothing. And and and go crazy. And then give them sweets and they go even more crazy. And so much love around and

Yana Fry: Unconditional.

Peer Metze: Really, the best unconditional love. Just like that. 

Yana Fry: fantastic. I understand Santa’s place is very popular since we’re in Singapore. It would be companies, assuming companies might also invite Santa for the Christmas parties. So what about places, have you gone? Since we were just sharing the story, you went to hospitals?

Peer Metze: Not yet, but I’ve been to institutions with, mentally disabled, people. So that is, Maybe people don’t know that Santa’s not only in the shopping centre. So I was like, actually, I’ve been everywhere at events, what else? Company as mentioned before. before, then, Airport, airport. These places are basically where public places can be found.

Yana Fry: Just like you when people think about Santa, I always feel that it’s associated with joyful occasions. It is always fun, and it’s, I don’t know, happy. I want Santa to come again, or what you said, those happy faces. And you’re just with us. So I’m just wondering, from your perspective, as someone who comes in as a centre, how do you process all those things, mentally and emotionally?

Peer Metze: Generally people think it is an easy job to do, you are joyful. But they don’t realise that. When they meet they go, it takes three months. does chores for four hours. So you spend hours in character, so to say, and be joyful for four hours of course, approach Some most of them very nice, some not very nice. And, in the end, I’m happy that Santa is not an event, or Christmas is all year, so it’s one month, and then that’s good. And usually, I take a holiday after that.

Yana Fry: But understand, again, because emotionally, mentally and physically, it asks you to be for and have seen as a scientist, as we have seen just earlier today. You have to level up this energy,

But you are constantly there for people. It’s actually quite admirable. Thank you for doing this. I think it’s an amazing job and brings happiness and joy to Christmas your childhood, since you told the story that you were playing Santa, and how many siblings do you have? So you are four or plus four, right? It’s a big family, so you guys were playing and doing all those costumes during Christmas. So I’m just curious. What was your memorable event for you as a child when it comes to Christmas? 

Peer Metze: It’s all, I think for every child the same. We did that program where we Some fairy tale figures. We all played music by the way, So we also played instruments.

We had a little cultural program that Christmas evening. And, in the end, everyone was happy when it was over because we wanted to know what was under that tree. Or what is in the sack of Santa? Of course, I think that is all for the same. So that’s the most. I think you have to wait as a child.

Yana Fry: Yeah, interesting. I think that many adults are still the same. We never really grow out of these expectations that they’re miracles in the present. This is what people want.

Peer Metze: At times there were not so many things around. There were much less. Sometimes when I visit families, the family says the presents are in front of the door. Sometimes I’m too small. There’s so much. And time, there was, I was a was much less,

Yana Fry: You have played in most of Asia and Europe because you were also doing it for friends and family, pretty much the foods that are doing it professionally in Singapore. So I know that people who have never been to Asia sometimes like Christmas in Asia, seriously. Just no sometimes artificial snow, but otherwise it’s a very similar way of doing it.

Peer Metze: Which I didn’t expect. It’s huge. look at Orchard Road. It’s wow, it’s a Christmas wonderland. It’s wow, amazing.

Yana Fry: Which leads, to the question here, which I wanted to ask. So because you have played in Asia and so do you see the differences? And if so, The only difference is how people approach Christmas.

Peer Metze:  Same way basically that families together and or friends and have good food that, then the highlights that Santa comes, It’s the same. The only difference is in Europe, it’s winter when you have that hot suit. It’s much better if you have that hot suit over here.

Yana Fry: On Orchard when 30 degrees Celsius,

Peer Metze: Other than that it’s basically the same. Good food is different, of course, yeah. But it’s the same, families meet and well come together, come together. nice.

Yana Fry: Are you planning on staying for a longer time as santa. Definitely Santa, right? So I know this episode is right now released around Christmas and probably already fully booked but I’m sure next year, so if you’re curious, and really want to have real Santa, then as always, we have all the links that you can check in the description of the video. I know you came to my home as well. I think I saw Santa five or six years ago, I think. times. exactly. It was very nice.

Peer Metze: Thank you so much. I will remember that.

Yana Fry: We have Santa again. It’s Santa! Christmas is going to be in a few days, and I’m just wondering, for people like me, who still have dreams and want their dreams to come true, do you have any special advice from Santa on how to make dreams come true?

Peer Metze:  Yes, true? Yes. As usual, behave. Come towards Santa. Give me a hug. Wish you luck. And if you are too shy for that, shake hands. That will do.

Yana Fry: We can also do Namaste courses. In very modern society. Is Santa Is Santa having a wish of his own for Christmas?

Peer Metze: I have my wish that people don’t forget Santa Claus. All the influence of the media. The new system and lots of stress. Please don’t forget, there is an old tradition around that is for you. 

Yana Fry: And, the final, as we are wrapping up our wonderful time here together, so maybe you come next for Christmas. How would you like to be welcomed?

Peer Metze:  I really understand that people really… in their eyes, And they Santa Claus, And, they know their wishes will come through.

Yana Fry: With that exactly what is very important that you are very clear on wish. And you truly believe in that with your whole heart. And myself you have an amazing Christmas you are in the world right now. With loved ones and your family and your friends. And may there be more kindness and inclusion and acceptance in our And, of course, remember to subscribe to our and a comment. If you have a wish that you really to

true, Santa is going with his ears, knows, with modern age, you can do every single line. Maybe that will be one step that will help you to make your wish come true. We are so grateful to Muse Studio for hosting YanaTV. Thank you for being here. See you next time!