It’s the time of the year when Santa looks over his list, checks it twice and finds out who’s been naughty or nice — but who exactly are these people behind the beards?

One Santa volunteer, Brian Packard, said being Santa was one of the neatest experiences he’s ever had.

“Most kid’s eyes just light up and sparkle,” Packard said.

He said he always wondered what it was like to be a Santa, so he tried it this year for the first time and said his favorite part of being St. Nick was making the holiday season fun for the kids.

“You see so many bad things about kids,” Packard said. “It’s really neat to see them at this level … it’s pure.”

He said most kids treated him very well, but some, mostly younger kids who do not yet understand the concept of Santa Claus, tend to become frightened.

“The neatest thing for me was when they would look [at me], smile and wave,” Packard said, adding that he especially liked it when the wave came from a face he recognized from earlier in the day.

He found as the age of the children increased, so did their honesty about how well-behaved they were.

Packard said he also found that it was best not to promise any gifts, just in case a parent didn’t get the gift for the child.

Packard said the experience did more for him than for the kids.

“It made me feel good about myself,” he said.

Finding enough people to play the role of Santa can be a difficult job for the Story County Volunteer Center.

Volunteer coordinator Phyllis Craig said the center needed to fill 41 shifts from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve.

“It takes coordination and talking to a lot of different people,” Craig said, “It’s a big operation.”

Story County has 21 volunteers in all.

She said the Santas are found by word of mouth or by repeat volunteers.

Linda Morische, executive director of the Story County Volunteer Center, said volunteer memberships depend on the number of people in the area who want to be a Santa.

“It’s a matter of willingness of community members,” she said.

Morische said anyone can be a Santa as long as the person does not have a past criminal record or a sex offender registry.