Perry Eidson (network engineer, field services auxiliary), who has attended several LITS Holiday Parties as our beloved Santa Claus, was recently cast for a Lifetime movie called “A Welcome Home Christmas,” where he portrayed jolly ol’ St. Nick. It wasn’t just a cameo appearance either, as Perry had six pages of script work.

“It’s a small part but it is important to the movie,” said Perry. “My character pretty much ties in the theme so it is not likely to end up on the cutting room floor.” The cast includes Jana Kramer (country singer, One Tree Hill), Brandon Quinn (Entourage), Tim Reid (Venus Flytrap on WKRP in Cincinnati), and Charlene Tilton (Dallas).

While Perry does a lot of independent Santa work, he also works for a Santa booking agency. When a casting director contacted the agency, they invited Perry to provide a video audition.

Perry with Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid).

Quipped Perry, “They asked if I could lose the southern accent because they wanted a Santa from the North Pole, not the South Pole.” Perry practiced flattening his accent and got the job. Hilariously, after a long day of shooting, the director said, “I am starting to hear that southern accent, Santa.” Perry turned to the camera and, in his thickest southern drawl, read the next line as, “Ah know yew,” which brought a chorus of laughter on the set.

Perry was able to complete the shoot, held in Springfield, TN, in three days, with one day of shooting. The director had gotten a positive COVID test, so he directed remotely. Oddly enough, because of a high rate of false positives in the crew on the shoot, Perry ended up receiving three COVID tests in the three days.

The director loved Perry’s own Santa suit, so they used it on the show. Because the temperature during the August filming was 85 degrees, Perry went through five bottles of water. “The crew was great,” said Perry. “They treated me with even more love and respect than I normally get as Santa Claus.” The makeup department was constantly attending to his face and the hair stylist re-curled his hair many times while he sat on set.

The show airs this Saturday night at 8:00 pm on Lifetime. There will be multiple showings, including another showing next Wednesday night at 8:00 pm. You can see Perry in the movie trailer HERE.

If you would like to see more photos from Perry’s adventure, check out his Facebook page HERE.