Santa portrayal brings magic to local man’s life

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BRANSON MO NEWS: Share This StoryCANAL WINCHESTER – It was the hair.Even though his wife Ginny Etienne had been portraying Mrs. Claus for three years and had suggested he take on the role of Santa Claus, it was the hair that kept Tim Etienne from doing it.The thought of bleaching and dyeing his dark hair white and growing a beard only to dye it as well didn’t appeal to the 55-year-old Canal Winchester resident.Stacia Cohagan rinses bleach from Tim Etienne’s beard Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, at Shag Hair Studio in Westerville. Etienne and many other Santa performers from Ohio, Michigan and Indiana travel to Cohagan for her hair dyeing expertise.(Photo: Matthew Berry/Eagle-Gazette)That changed a year and a half ago when his wife asked him to go to a Santa convention in Branson, Missouri for her 50th birthday.Now, three weeks before Christmas, he’s sitting in a chair at a salon in Westerville with bleach in his hair and beard, leaning over a sink, as his stylist, Stacia Cohagan, rinses the chemicals down the drain. All the while Ginny teases him about having more hair care products than she does, and now Tim’s O.K. with that.It’s all part of the job for a dedicated Santa Claus performer. That’s what Tim is now, and he describes this character he wasn’t sure about taking on as “magic.”Christmas always played a big part in Ginny Etienne’s life.CLOSE
Tim Etienne wasn’t sure if he wanted to start portraying Santa Claus. After a year and a half, playing the Christmas icon has giving him some of the most memorable experiences of his life.
Matthew Berry/Eagle-Gazette“She warned me,” Tim said with a laugh talking about when the couple first started dating. “’She said, ‘Hey, I’m a …