Santa Kenny Hydock, Instructor

Santa Kenny first donned the red suit in the fall of 2016. After a 30-year career in the United States Coast Guard, you can say he traded in one uniform for another. Santa Kenny’s first appearance in December 2016 convinced him that portraying Santa was his true calling and he immersed himself into the study of all “Santa-ology”.

Prior to putting on the red suit, he had been a cast member of the Virginia Renaissance Faire since 2007, where he began his portrayal of Elizabethan nobility. In his role as Sir William Howard, he honed his skills in improv acting and became quite the “noble” celebrity among the visiting patrons of the faire, preparing him for the ultimate role as the jolly old elf. Since then, he has continued to sharpen his skills as Santa, having obtained his Advanced Sleigh Master’s degree from Northern Lights Santa Academy.

Since his transformation into Santa Kenny, he has become a prominent figure in his hometown community of Suffolk, VA. He has been involved in many community activities, including his portrayal as Santa at the Suffolk National Night Out event in 2018 and 2019. He has also been selected by the City of Suffolk as their official Santa, where he will make appearances at the city’s Grande Illumination and Christmas parade. Santa Kenny is very active in the Southeastern Virginia Santas, a group of over 15 Santas in the Hampton Roads and surrounding area, providing mentoring to new local Santas, and he participates as a mentor through the Santa Claus Conservatory’s mentoring program. 

Santa Kenny’s military background also prepared him for the unexpected challenges of 2020. As a former systems engineer, his experience in computers and software applications has become an asset by allowing him to use that knowledge in creating the ability for live-streaming Santa visits over the internet as well as recording video storytelling that can be used in the new world of physical distancing and isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are proud to welcome Santa Kenny back to our roster of instructors this session!