Tattooed, Free-Spirited 'Santa Scott' Is Back In Bucks Co.

FAIRLESS HILLS, PA — Before he became Bucks County's beloved and unconventional jolly old elf, Santa Scott had his beginnings in a very different spot — a wrestling ring.

Scott Diethorne, 52, is back for 2019, posing for fun and funky Christmas photos (or more traditional ones, if you'd prefer) at Fairless Hills Garden Center. But Diethorne first portrayed St. Nick in a different way, as "Commissioner Claus" for an independent pro wrestling promotion in the area.

And it was his days as a good-guy wrestler that helped him transition from a more traditional mall Santa to one known to showcase his "Naughty" and "Nice" forearm tattoos, pose with alligators, snakes and exotic birds, or take photos with kids in fun, if nontraditional, poses.

"One day, one of the dads came up and said 'Hey, can you put him in a headlock in a picture?' " Diethorne, who lives in Fairless Hills, told Patch.

Santa Scott, of course, obliged.

Diethorne started playing Santa about 28 years ago, when his daughter was born.

"We didn't think she was going to be home for Christmas, so my mom made my first Santa suit for us," he said. "I dressed up and went to the hospital to see her and the next year is when it took off. The hospital called me and it just took off from there."

His first gig as a mall Santa came when he met the full-time Santa at King of Prussia Mall who needed a fill-in one day a week. The following year, he got a gig traveling from mall to mall filling in for other Santas and, after that, he spent several years full-time at Willow Grove Mall.

It was when he started working with a new company that he landed the job where most locals got to know him — at Oxford Valley Mall. That lasted for about 10 years until 2018, when the photo company that owned his booth decided it wanted a more traditional Santa.

The decision didn't sit well with many locals, who were thrilled when Scott found another local spot to call home.

Today, Diethorne laughs at being considered an out-of-the-ordinary Santa.

"Nowadays, 90 percent of people out there have some kind of tattoos," he said. "I just want the parents and the kids to walk away having had a good experience. If they want the traditional stuff, I can do that. I don't sit there with my tattoos showing unless they say, 'Hey, can I have a tattoo picture?' "

Fairless Hills Garden Center is located at 686 Lincoln Hwy. in Fairless Hills.

Here's Santa Scott's schedule there for the rest of 2019.

(NOTE: The last two hours of every night with Santa Scott are open to photos with pets. Special needs hours offer a calmer environment, with quieter music and fewer distractions. Santa Brian will be filling in for Santa Scott four days during the holiday season. Call ahead if you want to make sure one or the other is there.)

Friday, Nov. 22: 3-8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 23: 1-8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 24: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (Special needs, 11 a.m.-noon)
Tuesday, Nov. 26: 1-8 p.m. (Special needs, 1-3 p.m.)
Wednesday, Nov. 27: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 29-Sunday, Dec. 1: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 3: Noon-8 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 4-Friday, Dec. 6: 2-8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 7: 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 8: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. (Special needs, 9-11 a.m.)
Tuesday, Dec. 10-Friday, Dec. 13: Noon-8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 14: 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 15: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. (Special needs, 9-11 a.m.)
Tuesday, Dec. 17-Friday, Dec. 20: Noon-8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 21: 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 22: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. (Special needs, 9-11 a.m.)
Tuesday, Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve): 9 a.m.-4 p.m.