Santa’s Workshop, featuring the Jolly Old Elf, aka Todd Egleston, is in the former Oliver Beene store and has been operating since Dec. 1. Some of the area kids have discovered where the workshop is located and have paid visits. They get their photos taken with Santa Claus while he sits on his red and gold-colored chair, and then they tell him what they want for Christmas. They leave with smiles on their faces and a chosen candy cane flavor, perhaps birthday cake or orange or others in the candy cane basket.

One of Santa’s “elves,” Lisa Pieters, said there has not been a big influx of children yet as it is still early in the Christmas season.

“The rush will probably happen next weekend,” she said. “It will be really, really busy. We give them coins. These are ‘get out of trouble for a day’ coins. They can turn it in if they get caught doing what they are not supposed to, and they can get on the Good List again.”

Santa does not discriminate based on age, either. On Thursday he had a picture taken with the youngest so far, a 5-week old baby, and earlier in the week he had a picture with a man in his 80s.

Santa Claus shows an empty space in his sleigh bell belt. He gave one of his “precious elves” in Marshalltown the bell, something he has never done before in his career.

“From the day they’re born to the day they are no longer with us, if they’re kids at heart, I will take a picture with them,” he said.

Marking the location, Christmas trees are in the Meadow Lane hallway, serving as beacons where Santa is waiting. Within a week, the windows of the storefront were frosted, the expansive collection of nutcrackers displayed prominently and a table was ready for kids to color pictures as they wait for their turn.

“Getting the decorations on the trees is what takes the longest, and setting up [the window nutcracker display,]” Pieters said.

“All of the nutcrackers are Santa’s personal collection,” Lori Egleston, another “elf,” said.

She said they are running a contest this year. People need to guess how many nutcrackers are in the workshop, including the little ornaments on the white Christmas tree. Whoever is closest to the total will win a large nutcracker.

An expansive nutcracker collection is displayed in Santa’s Workshop in Meadow Lane Mall. People can participate in a contest, guessing how many nutcrackers are present in the Workshop. Whoever is closest to the total number will win a giant nutcracker.

“They’re everywhere,” Pieters said. “They’re in the windows, back in Santa’s area. They are everywhere. If he could hang them on the wall, he probably would.”

Tuesdays are the designated day of the week for people to bring pets in for photos, and pet proceeds are given to the Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown. Santa said as long as the pet has legs, he will take a photo with them.

“I had pictures with ducks, with pigs, with a guinea pig, chickens, rabbits, all sorts of critters,” he said. “As long as they have legs.”

New location

The past few years presented a new challenge for the Christmas crew. For a quarter of a century, the Workshop was located inside the Marshalltown Mall. After the electricity was shut off in November 2023, Todd Egleston knew they needed a new location. Last year, the Workshop was located in the Nicholas Center. However, a new business, Artemis Tavern, is operating out of that space.

Lori Egleston said the space in Meadow Lane has definitely provided more foot traffic.

“Last year, people said we should try the old Oliver Beene store, so Santa went uptown and talked to them,” she said.

Santa loves the fact the Workshop is across the hallway from El Portal.

“They draw a lot of people,” he said. “It’s working out very well.”

Included in the increased number of Workshop visitors was one of Santa’s “precious elves,” Jeannae Hallam. On Thursday, she waited patiently to give Santa a Christmas present — a new nutcracker to add to his collection. Santa said he met her after the tornado. Hallam’s family’s house was destroyed by the 2018 tornado and they had to live in a hotel. She would go to the workshop every weekend as there was not a lot to do in a hotel.

“When I first met this lovely young lady she was very shy,” he said. “It took a long time for her to come in and talk to Santa. It took more than a couple years before she would talk to me in anything but the red outfit. She’s grown up with me. Now, she’s one of my elves. So far, hanging out with her is one of the most precious things that has happened to me at this location.”

Hallam has the distinction of acquiring something Santa has not given anyone else during his career — one of his sleigh bells. She always keeps track of the bell and wears it as a necklace during Christmas.

“She’s the only person who has ever gotten one of my bells,” Santa said. “They are stupidly difficult to get and incredibly expensive.”

Now that the workshop is up and running for the season, Santa can expect people from across the state will come to Marshalltown just to visit him. It’s just another reason Santa opens the workshop every year, as he has done annually for more than 20 years.

“I’m holding grandbabies of people I’ve held,” he said. “I love this. I absolutely love this. I live for this.”

SANTA’S WORKSHOP INFORMATION:

Location: Meadlowlane Mall

Address: 1716 S. Center St.

Days: Tuesday, Thursday through Sunday

Hours: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays; 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays and Sunday and; noon to 6 p.m., Dec. 21 and Dec. 22

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.