Where Is Bucks Co.'s Santa Scott This Year?

FAIRLESS HILLS, PA — With his tattooed forearms and willingness to pose for non-traditional photos (sometimes with snakes and alligators), Santa Scott may not be everyone's idea of the jolly old elf. But as talk of the Christmas season has gotten underway, legions of fans in Bucks County already are asking where to find the local favorite.

Until last year, Scott Diethorne, 51, could be found at Oxford Valley Mall. But during the 2017 Christmas season, he was told to tone it down and only pose for more traditional holiday photos. That didn't go over so well with fans, who say they love the sometimes-goofy alternative Santa Scott provides to dozens of other Santas they could go see in the area.

But, luckily for them, while he won't be back at Oxford Valley this year, Santa Scott has plans for multiple appearances in and around Bucks County between now and Christmas Eve. (See below for details, and how to get announcements of new appearance plans.)

On a Facebook post Monday about Oxford Valley's 2018 Santa photos, more than a dozen people responded, many of them saying they'd be seeking out Diethorne instead. And Santa Scott noticed.

"I would like to thank everyone for the kind words," he wrote. "They are very touching and heart warming to see, and to know how you feel about me and how I have touched your family.

"But I'm not doing anything any other Santa wouldn't do. I'm just there to make your child happy and for you to have a little fun while the magic is happening."

In a Facebook post in September, Diethorne wrote that he was let go by the company that runs the Santa program at Oxford Valley Mall (not the mall itself, he noted) because "I was not their type of Santa and I was not professional enough for them."

In a statement to Patch last year, Cherry Hill Programs, which runs the Santa program at Oxford Valley, defended the changes.

"During this special time of year, we are focused on delivering a magical holiday experience," the statement said. "We remain dedicated to preserving the tradition and image of Santa with authentic holiday visits for every guest to our programs. We uphold the magic of the one and only Santa for all believers, by providing a consistent approach at every experience we operate, not just Oxford Valley Mall."

A Pennsburg native and career truck driver, Diethorne is no stranger to making children happy. He's a father of nine children and grandfather of 10 who has built up a local following over the past two decades or so.

Some loyal fans ask Santa Scott to flash the "Naughty" and "Nice" tattoos he had inked into his forearms. Others ask for crazy poses — picking up young children and dangling them by their ankles is a favorite. And he's always made a point of hosting at least one "pet night," posing with four-legged friends like cats and dogs as well as more exotic pets like snakes and lizards.

The left-field approach has worked. Santa Scott has become so popular he's had to create three different pages on Facebook after he hit the site's limit for number of friends on his first.

So, with Oxford Valley Mall going in a more traditional direction, where can fans find Santa Scott this year? Fortunately, he's already lined up several appearances in and around Bucks County, with more anticipated by the time Christmas rolls around.

• Saturday, Nov. 3. 2-8 p.m. Fairless Hills Garden Center, 620 Lincoln Hwy., Fairless Hills. From 6-8 p.m. will be "Pet Night."
• Saturdays, 8-9:30 a.m. Crush Photography Studio, 48 Tulip Ln., Levittown. A series of "micro-sessions" featuring Santa Scott and Elsa from "Frozen." Check Santa Scott's Facebook pages (see below) for exact dates.
• Saturday, Nov. 10-Monday, Dec. 24. Times and days vary. Christiana Mall, 132 Christiana Mall, Newark, Del. Just past the Philadelphia Airport off of Interstate 95, this is where Santa Scott will be spending the most time in 2018. Click here for hours and prices.

Others dates and locations are expected to be added to Santa Scott's schedule. He encourages fans to follow or join Friends of Santa Scott, his personal Santa Scott page and the Santa Scot fans page on Facebook for updates.

Photo courtesy "Santa Scott." Used with permission.