Dashing on snow not for our Santa
A small Scandinavian mining town with four hours of sunlight and sub-zero temperatures is no place for a summertime Santa from Perth.
Just ask Glenn Swift.
The Fremantle man spent most of last week in Sweden, shivering in his fur-trimmed shorts and RM Williams boots.
He can usually be found wandering the streets of the City of Perth during the festive season, spreading Christmas joy in his uniquely Australian attire.
But this year, the 54-year-old was one of eight Santas from across the globe to qualify for the 11th annual Santa Winter Games in Gallivare.
He knew the weather would be his biggest test, but he was still shocked.
"Going from Perth to Stockholm was bad enough, but arriving in Gallivare, where it was -10C, was really quite funny," Mr Swift said.
"I bought thermal underwear when I left Perth but it was incredibly cold."
The Santas had to ride a mechanical reindeer, stack presents, eat porridge and climb chimneys. Some of them took the events more seriously than others.
"The Japanese and Chinese guys had won preliminary competitions at home so were fiercely competitive and very fit," Mr Swift said.
"They were in their 20s and they had been trained up."
Mr Swift finished third behind the Japanese and Hong Kong competitors, defeating Santas from Germany, Holland and Sweden, and providing laughs along the way.
"When it came to the mechanical bull, I was so busy waving to the crowd I came straight off as soon as it started moving," he said.
