Santa Claus Is Back, Now with New Office
Misdialing Has Never Been So Rewarding
It all started as an accident. According to thousands of kids across the nation, Santa’s number is 1-800-SANTACLAUS. But occasionally, they misdial. This is all for the better; dialing 1-800-SANTACLAUS (1-800-726-8225) connects you to nobody. But the accidental dial (1-800-726-8222) is where John Dickson enters the picture.
Throughout the holiday season, Dickson’s office phone (1-800-SANTABARBARA) rings not with calls from potential clients- tourists planning trips to Santa Barbara – but with thousands of children hoping to speak with Santa Claus.
It all started one day in early December of 2006. Dickson got a call at his santabarbara.com office from “a little boy who wanted a blue truck, a pony, and a spider.” Confused, Dickson played along. “He actually thought he was talking to Santa!” Dickson exclaimed. “Then another call came in about 15 or 20 minutes later. It was a little girl.” After a bit of investigation, Dickson understood the misdialing that was going on. For the next two weeks, he answered Santa calls at a rate of about one every 10 to 15 minutes.
