CASH CLAUS KRIS KRINGLE BRINGS JINGLE TO REGISTERS.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

When Santa Claus makes his list and checks it twice, he's more likely to be projecting profits than marking down who's naughty or nice.

To a 5-year-old, the man in the big red suit can be the living embodiment of Christmas. To a business, however, he's an attractive marketing tool and an additional source of revenue at a crucial time of year. A mall's cut of Santa's helper's picture sales alone can bring in tens of thousands of dollars.

Sure, he brings bikes and dolls to the kids, but the big gift he saves for the malls: a whole lot of Christmas cash.

``If we have happy children, we have happy parents,'' said Douglas Fisher, general manager of the Panorama Mall. ``That translates into more shoppers. We don't just want traffic, we want sales-driven traffic.''

This year especially, malls are looking to drum up as much business as possible. With mixed projections for holiday sales traffic and traditional mall anchors scrambling to bring back shoppers they've lost to discount chains, St. Nick showed up quite quickly at some local malls. Only three centers are waiting until after Thanksgiving - the traditional start of the shopping season - while six already have a Mr. Claus on display.

``The sooner Santa arrives, the earlier people remember 'Oh, Christmas is here,'' said Joey Char, marketing director for the Northridge Fashion Center. ``With him so visible in center court, it's a pretty strong reminder. He serves as an attraction, so it's definitely a reason for people to come for the mall. You can do two things at once, the shopping and get the picture.''

Indeed, that's what happened to John Berger, a Reseda stay-at-home dad. While cruising the mall with his 2-year-old daughter Zoe, he got unexpectedly swept into the picture line.

``We didn't expect him here, since it's not Thanksgiving yet,'' Berger said Tuesday. ``But Zoe was very excited to see all the decorations.''

Showing up early does have its merits, however. Jaenene Jensen - a Winnetka mother whose son, Tyler, and daughter, Jordan, took a turn on Santa's lap - doesn't like the long lines that materialize the final weekend before Christmas. And there are other ancillary benefits, she noted.

``When you come early,'' she said, ``Santa's not cranky.''

There are benefits for the malls, too, in an early arrival.

``Malls really look at the retail sales forecast,'' said Jerry Helton, vice president of marketing for Santa Plus, a Missouri-based nationwide Claus-placer responsible for Fashion Square Sherman Oaks' jolly old man. ``This year, Thanksgiving is one week closer to Christmas, and people associate the time to shop with Santa's arrival. When they see him, they get in the mood to start buying, so a lot of malls opted to open him a week earlier this year to retain the same number of days.''

The village can be a considerable source of revenue for malls, who invest heavily to ensure Santa can sit in style. The Panorama Mall invested several thousand dollars for new decorations, Fisher said, making sure its bilingual Claus could be suitably accommodated. But the money is well spent, with high-traffic centers generating upward of $150,000 in revenue. The mall receives a third of the profits.

Though a veteran Santa's helper can earn up to $25,000 for the season, it doesn't come easy. Bob Bordeleau, general manager of the Chatsworth- based Amusematte, starts interviewing his Santa's helpers by summertime and has them selected for 25 malls in nine states by August. College professors, retirees, truck drivers and anyone else with some free time have all signed up to sit in the chair.

``It's hard to tell the difference between a retired Harley biker and a Santa Claus,'' Bordeleau said. ``The only way you can tell is the smile.''

Helton adds that every Santa's helper has to go through a drug and criminal background check. ``We don't want them to have any problems if they're going to be around families. If we find something wrong, we thank them and send them away. That's just prudent business.''

Any positive qualities that stand out help in the selection process for a faux Claus. Some malls seek Santa's helpers of varying ethnicities, others look for multilinguists. Santa Plus tests for appropriate levels of jocularity and, like most placement services, prefers its workers to have natural whiskers.

``If you're not a jolly old man with a beard, we're not trying to discriminate, but that's the role we're trying to play,'' Helton said. ``If you need some padding and a synthetic beard, we'll try to find a place where you'll be appropriate.''

At Northridge Fashion Center, Thurston Jones shares the elfin duty. A former theater prop man and proud member of the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, he got into the business at the urging of his grandchildren, who loved his annual Christmas performances at home. He's worn the beard for four decades, and at 69, he's recently been able to make the switch to a natural white, rather than bleached, beard.

Santa Thurston, as he likes to be called, has played the part for 10 years and has figured out the business so well he co-wrote a book, ``Becoming Santa,'' on how to properly make kids and parents happy.

``There's three levels,'' the Sherman Oaks resident said. ``At the mall, you're at the bottom of the heap. Parties, that's where you start making some real money. And if you get into movies, then you get an agent and then you do pretty well.''

And should an unforeseen circumstance interrupt his toils, a crack cadre of stand-in Santas is ready to fill his boots.

``If Santa gets sick, we have to get someone there in under 24 hours,'' said Bordeleau. ``We have a couple in the bullpen, just in case. Midnight flights and the like, whatever it takes.''

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Two-year-old Zoe Berger of Reseda reads a Christmas book with one of Santa's helpers at the Northridge Fashion Center on Tuesday.

(2 -- color) To merchants, Santa's helpers are attractive marketing tools and additional sources of revenue at a crucial time of year.

(3) Tyler Jensen, 4, and his sister Jordan, 2, smile as they pose with Santa's helper at the Northridge Fashion Center.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer