CITY VIEW: For Santa and his elf, every day is Christmas

Christmas performers David Milmine and Myke Hutchings – Santa Claus and Phineus the Elf – work year-round to bring the magic of the holidays to life.   

DAVID MILMINE was born and raised in Hamilton, growing up in Stoney Creek. With an education in business administration, he worked at Dofasco in automotive sales until his retirement. Most Sundays he can be found in the pulpit of one of Hamilton’s Presbyterian churches, leading worship. His son lives in Winnipeg where he works in the film industry and his daughter is a social worker in Hamilton. He has been married to the love of his life Lynda for 47 years, having met in high school. David is proud “Poppy” to his granddaughter Charlie Scout, who is only 6 and has not figured out who he is when he’s wearing his red suit. David is an avid reader, singer and pianist and spent many years on the board of directors for CityKidz.

MYKE HUTCHINGS was born in Etobicoke and raised in Ajax. A social worker and musician, he moved to Hamilton in 2000 to live with his husband Larry, who passed away in 2013. Myke is currently the tenor section lead at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church and volunteers at Laidlaw Memorial United Church. He helped chair Hamilton’s Pagan Pride Day from 2013 until 2021 and has performed as a musician and vocalist with a number of local choirs and theatre companies since 2003.

How did the two of you meet?

In the 1990s, David ran a clown school in Burlington. Myke was a young family entertainer looking to broaden his horizons and attended clown school.  We maintained a friendship through correspondence over the internet, reconnecting when Myke moved to Hamilton in 2000 and have been good friends ever since. We have known each other and have worked together on and off for nearly 35 years.

David, how did you begin becoming Santa? 

David was performing as Dooley the Clown at a holiday show with fellow clown Brian Burnside. The organizer came over to the clowns in a panic as their Santa was nowhere to be found. Brian had a Santa suit in his car and David went out to put it on. David, although unprepared for taking on the mantle, felt the beginnings of something good that spoke to his heart.

Myke, how did Phineus come about and what’s his backstory?

From about 2007 onward, I had pulled back from performing as my husband, Larry, was in treatment for cancer. Larry was a professional real-bearded Santa, so I spent my time supporting him (behind the scenes) in his portrayal and business operation. When Larry died in 2013, I took some time to heal, eventually attending the Clowns of America International convention in 2015, where one of the instructors remembered me from the past and proceeded to work with me to create a new clown nose. This new nose spurred on the creation of Phineus as a general character. In 2017, David asked me to help him with some of his larger gigs and the character of Phineus became a grumpy, curmudgeonly elf who was approximately 450 years old and has seen and heard it ALL.

How much do each of you look forward to the holiday season?

David loves Christmas, the fun, the celebrations, the wide eyes of the children and wonderment of the holiday spirit. But he also loves the ability to share the reason for the holidays and the message of God’s love through the birth of Jesus.

Myke tries to carry the “holiday season” – as in the spirit of goodwill to others, giving freely of one’s self and living peacefully – should occur year round. It sounds like a cliché but he tries to live every day as if it’s Christmas Day.

How much work do you put in during the year into being Santa and Phineus?

We work year round, honing our performance skills, building our story times, as we change our shows yearly to keep things fresh for us and also to ensure our annual visits are always new and different for the believers in Hamilton. Our public work as Santa and Phineus continues throughout the year, including an Easter update where Phineus finds himself loaned to the Easter Bunny to help out with the worldwide delivery of chocolate and candies and we also have a Summer Santa/Christmas in July program when we share stories and shenanigans and provide updates about what is happening at the North Pole throughout the year. We try to attend classes at least once a year as well as network with other Christmas performers around the world.

You each are part of a community of Christmas performers. Tell us about that aspect of what you do.

David loves that he is able to speak and relate to children and believers of all ages throughout the year. He gets to share in their good news, their wishes, their dreams throughout the year. Being able to share these while keeping the magic, belief and spirit of Christmas alive is an honour and a privilege. Myke has been active in the Christmas performance community since 2007, both as a performer and behind the scenes. It’s his goal to continue to highlight the importance of performance skills, such as public speaking, physical presence and improvisation in the portrayal of holiday characters, as well as providing historical and cultural context of many things that are taken as canon by other performers and the general public.

What has been your favourite moment when out in the community as Santa and Phineus?

David enjoys being able to meet families, particularly sharing the Christmas story from the Bible and sharing a message of universal love, peace and joy. Myke enjoys watching the eyes of believers of all ages, especially adults, light up when they recognize Santa and Phineus. For a brief moment, you see the look of shock, surprise, then that “childhood glee” set in …

What are some of your own holiday traditions?

David has recently “downsized” into a condominium and has a much smaller space. He has had to focus on decorating and celebrations that fit within that space to be able to comfortably share with his family and friends. As a lay minister in the Presbyterian church, David often spends the Advent season, leading up to Christmas, helping churches prepare for the celebrations of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Myke is a professional musician and singer. He works as a chorister at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church and volunteers at Laidlaw Memorial United Church. On Christmas Eve, Myke has been blessed to lead the congregation at Laidlaw Memorial in the candlelight singing of “Silent Night” accompanied by his acoustic guitar. It’s a wonderful quiet moment of peace amongst the hubbub and chaos of the holiday season. Also for the past nine years, Myke has hosted a holiday concert called “No Coal In Your Stocking,” which hosts local Hamilton musicians for a family-friendly concert consisting of their favourite holiday songs.

How do you each spend Christmas Day?

David and his wife go to their daughter’s home for Christmas, where they open presents and enjoy a meal with family.

Myke spends Christmas Day quietly at home with his mother and brother’s family.

What does it mean to you to be Santa and Phineus?

Being Santa and Phineus allows David and Myke to share in the holiday spirit – often year round. It’s a reminder to keep the meaning of the holiday season – family, peace, rebirth – in their hearts and to approach things with a spirit of whimsy and play. Being able to walk into a room and see joy and happiness on the faces of believers of all ages is an incredibly powerful and empowering feeling.

Music is important to both of you. Is there one concert or musical experience of your life that stands out for you?

David:  Last Christmas, I sang with Vocal Point Choir in Hamilton. I had not sung with a choir for a few years and getting to perform a concert of Christmas and holiday-themed music that was fun and challenging to sing was a joy-filled experience for me. I was also asked to sing as Santa at the concert.
Myke:  Seeing Bob Mould perform at the Casbah in 2008 was one of the most visceral and powerful concerts I’ve been to.  Feeling the power of his music coming off the stage was incredible, especially as he was an openly gay musician. His music, both as a solo performer and with his bands Sugar and Hüsker Dü helped me find my voice as a songwriter when I came out.

Who inspires you?

David: Myke inspires and challenges me to continue to grow and develop as Santa. And being able to work with professional Christmas performers such as Jeff McMullen from Wisconsin and Stephen Gillham in North Carolina who are so creative and helpful in my development is a privilege and joy.

Myke: How can you not be inspired when your working partner is Santa Claus? Honestly, working with David, who is so giving and genuine in his interactions, makes me want to step up and become a better human being and performer. I, too, echo David’s sentiments about working with fellow performers like Robert Seutter, Jeff McMullen, Stephen Gillham and Dr. Bruce Kotowich to continue to grow and develop my abilities as a performer and storyteller.

What’s your ideal way to spend a lazy day in Hamilton?

David enjoys a drive down the Niagara Peninsula on Highway 8 with his wife Lynda, perhaps all the way to Niagara-on-the-Lake to visit the Christmas Shop or Beau Chapeau Hats. Or perhaps a drive to Dundas to shop at Picones and some of the other purveyors of food.

Myke enjoys visiting the Ottawa Street Farmers’ market on Saturday mornings and then having a latte and waffle bacon at Cannon Coffee. He later enjoys walking through Gage Park or taking a stroll around Bayfront Park and perhaps checking out a local bookstore like J.H. Gordon Books, Epic Books or City and the City Books and then visiting Dr. Disc, Revolution Records or Into the Abyss.

What’s your favourite meal in the city?

David loves getting a meal at Himalaya off Centennial Parkway, in his opinion, the best Indian food in the city with the added bonus of being vegetarian.

Myke enjoys eating at MaiPai on Barton Street. He loves the non-alcoholic Dancing Fully Naked cocktail and then either the Pepperoni Pile On or one of the weekly special pizzas. If he’s sharing a meal with a guest, an order of parm fries is always welcomed!

What is Hamilton’s best-kept secret?

Most outsiders see Hamilton from the Burlington Skyway Bridge or enter from Nikola Tesla, so they see the industry and factories. David loves exploring the beautiful waterfront parks from Confederation Park to Pier 4. They are beautiful areas to walk and take in the beauty of the Hamilton area. When Myke brings people new to the area into the city, he tries to bring them in through the 403 or Plains Road, so they can see the green spaces and history of the city outside of the industrial areas. Myke thinks Hamilton’s amazing green spaces, trails, waterfalls and parks are the best-kept secret.