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West Columbia Man Brings the Spirit of Christmas Alive as Santa Claus

South Carolina Public Radio | By Tut Underwood
Published December 18, 2017 at 5:45 AM EST
Beautician Carol Ann Porter works on her favorite client, "Santa Cotton."
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Beautician Carol Ann Porter works on her favorite client, "Santa Cotton."
Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio
Check the look in the mirror...
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Check the look in the mirror...
Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio
Arthur Erskine of West Columbia and friend.
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Arthur Erskine of West Columbia and friend.
Lauren Rivers

Most men don’t frequent beauty parlors, but Arthur “Cotton” Erskine of West Columbia visits his every day from Thanksgiving to Christmas to prepare his hair and long beard for a role he’s portrayed for years: Santa Claus.  “Santa Cotton,” as he is known, becomes the Jolly Old Elf for events such as Christmas parades, private photo sessions and store appearances, sometimes with as many as six appointments a day.  He is “Ho Ho” to his grandchildren, and here he discusses the fun of  dealing with children, and the unusual requests they sometimes have of Santa.  Erskine’s hairdresser and the co-chair of Columbia’s Carolina Carillon parade talk about how ideal he is in his role of the spirit of Christmas.  
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Tut Underwood
Tut Underwood is producer of South Carolina Focus, a weekly news feature. A native of Alabama, Tut graduated from Auburn University with a BA in Speech Communication. He worked in radio in his hometown before moving to Columbia where he received a Master of Mass Communications degree from the University of South Carolina, and worked for local radio while pursuing his degree. He also worked in television. He was employed as a public information specialist for USC, and became Director of Public Information and Marketing for the South Carolina State Museum. His hobbies include reading, listening to music in a variety of styles and collecting movies and old time radio programs.
See stories by Tut Underwood