Christmas wishes for in-laws USA families love to send at the holidays carry warmth, gratitude, and a little American cheer. Whether you are writing to your mother-in-law in Texas, your father-in-law in Ohio, or your brother-in-law and sister-in-law across the country, the right words can make the family dinner feel even closer. This list brings together heartfelt, funny, and short messages made for American homes, snowy mornings, and long drives home for Christmas. In-laws become family in the truest sense at Christmas. They welcome you to the table, share treasured recipes, cheer for the same football team, and help trim the tree. A thoughtful wish thanks them for that welcome and tells them how much their love means through the year. Use these 45 wishes in a card, a text, a holiday letter, or a toast at the table. Pick one that fits your family, add a personal line about a shared memory, and send it early so it arrives before the turkey is carved and the eggnog is poured. Last up...
World’s Oldest Santa School: 200 Santas in Michigan (2026)
The oldest Santa school in the world has just closed its 89th annual session — and it may have been the merriest one yet. From October 1 to 3, 2026, the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Midland, Michigan welcomed 200 Santas and 60 Mrs. Clauses for three days of classes devoted to the craft of being Santa.
Students traveled from 42 states, plus Canada and Germany — reportedly one of the most international classes in its history. Some earn their living in the red suit; others are church and school volunteers who simply want to make December brighter for the children they visit.
For nearly nine decades this small school has quietly trained the men and women who keep the Santa tradition alive — here is how it began, what students learn, and how you could join a future class.
Last updated: October 17, 2026
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A School That Started in 1937
In 1937, Charles W. Howard — an actor and teacher who portrayed Santa for Macy’s in New York — opened a school in Albion, New York, to raise the standard of Santa Claus. Department-store Santas then often wore cheap suits and scraggly beards; Howard believed the world’s most beloved Christmas figure deserved elegance, dignity and proper training.
Howard became the featured Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1948 to 1965 — the most famous Santa in America at the height of the parade’s fame. He ran his school until his final class in 1965 and died on May 1, 1966, but the school lived on in his name, moving from New York to Bay City, Michigan, and finally to Midland.
Since 1987, Tom Valent and his wife Holly Valent have run the school’s three-day seminars from the Santa House in downtown Midland; today classes meet at the Midland Center for the Arts each October. The school is a non-profit, widely described as the longest continuously running Santa Claus school in the world — the Harvard of Santa schools, as admirers call it.
What Santa Students Actually Learn
The curriculum blends history, theater and business. Students study the story of Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, then turn to practical craft: dress and grooming, makeup application, and the serious business of beard keeping — a real beard must be washed, whitened and styled; a theatrical one fitted convincingly. They rehearse the Ho Ho Ho until it rings from the belly, learn every reindeer name from Dasher to Blitzen, and practice toy-making.
The most important lessons are about talking to children: how to answer the question every Santa dreads — Are you the real Santa? — and the golden rule: never promise to grant a wish or bring a particular gift. Students also pick up American Sign Language phrases, so they can greet children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Field adventures fill the weekend: a sleigh ride, moments with live reindeer, a trip to Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland in nearby Frankenmuth — billed as the largest Christmas store in the world — and a turn sitting on a coal pile like the one left for naughty children. Interview tips for radio and television, plus marketing insight for professional Santas, round out the weekend before the graduation banquet.
The Deans Behind the School
Tom and Holly Valent have guided the school since 1987 — nearly four decades of keeping Charles Howard’s vision alive. Tom, a president and CEO of Gerach Construction, was one of the original designers of the Santa House in downtown Midland.
Together the couple have spent more than 50 years spreading Christmas cheer, per the school’s own account, growing the school from a modest regional seminar into an international gathering — and alumni return year after year.
How to Attend (and What It Costs)
Santa School 2027 runs Thursday, October 7 through Saturday, October 9, 2027 — classes start at 9:00 AM, and a graduation banquet closes the weekend around 9:00 PM Saturday. Registration details are at the santaclausschool.com official site.
The site lists 2027 tuition at $660 for new Santa or Mrs. Claus students and $630 for alumni, with guest tickets available for the Friday adventures and Saturday banquet.
A few things are unconfirmed: no 2027 application deadline is published, and we could not verify the 2026 tuition or whether travel, meals and lodging are included — check the official site before planning. Both Santa and Mrs. Claus students enroll (60 Mrs. Clauses attended in 2026), though a separate Mrs. Claus track is unconfirmed. If you have ever dreamed of pulling on the red suit, this is where the training begins.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the world’s oldest Santa school?
Midland, Michigan. The Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School was founded in 1937 in Albion, New York, moved to Bay City and then Midland, and operates today as a non-profit.
When was the 2026 session?
October 1–3, 2026 — the 89th session. About 200 Santas and 60 Mrs. Clauses attended from 42 states, Canada and Germany, according to session reports.
When is the next session?
October 7–9, 2027, per the official site — three days ending with a Saturday graduation banquet.
Who can attend Santa school?
Amateurs and professionals alike: church and school volunteers, plus working Santas who earn appearance fees. Mrs. Claus students enroll too.
How much does it cost?
2027 tuition is listed at $660 for new students and $630 for alumni; the 2026 tuition and 2027 application deadline are unconfirmed — check the official site.
From a 1937 classroom in Albion to 260 students from three countries in 2026, the school remains what Howard intended: a place where the spirit of Santa is taught, practiced and passed on. Ho ho ho — class is in session.
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