Local media in Gatlinburg, Tennessee are reporting that the promised payments by Celebrate Santa to cover costs of two years worth of Claus-related conventions has not been made. WBIR-TV and the Mountain Press both report of the default by Joe and Mary Moore of the promissory note they provided in March as news of the fiasco surfaced. According to those reports, the Moores owe “tens of thousands of dollars” for the events.

In the reports, Joe Moore claims the public complaints by the City of Gatlinburg are the reason why no money has been paid, preventing him from securing new sponsors for future events.

“They basically shot themselves and us in the foot,” Moore said in a phone conversation with The Mountain Press. “They said some pretty bad things about us and made it really difficult for us.” (This being said long after Moore announced in March that he was moving the next convention to another city).

Insiders from Celebrate Santa 2009 and 2010 report the receipt of “hundreds of thousands” of dollars by the Moores from the sales of sponsorships and registrations. Several vendors outside of the City of Gatlinburg have also come forward to report they have not been paid either. There has been no accounting of funds received or costs generated by the events.

Over the course of a year this story has been documented while the Santa community debated how the very public fiasco affects the image of Santa Claus and potential such news has for anyone doing business as a Santa.

Toys R Us, the nation-wide toy retailer struggling in recent years from relentless competition from Walmart, has launched its Christmas Savers Club, a throwback to depression-era tactics used by many retailers to build holiday sales. The plan is designed to help parents save for holiday toys, and to guarantee that they will spend those savings at Toys “R” Us.

The New Jersey-based retailer has reached back to the holiday savings clubs that became popular during the Depression for inspiration for its latest effort to build customer loyalty. It used to be that every neighborhood bank had a Christmas club savings program, which encouraged people to set aside a few dollars a week for holiday spending. Those programs began to lose popularity as credit and debit card use became more widespread.

“We’re a relatively old brand, and we’ve started to use components of nostalgia within our brand, so we’ve looked at things that people used to do. Christmas savers’ clubs were one of those things that people used a lot, especially in times when budgets were tight,” said Greg Ahearn, senior vice president for marketing and e-commerce for Toys “R” Us.

The recession created demand for programs like layaway and Christmas clubs, said Chris Byrne, toy consultant and toy trends researcher.

“Some moms started this all by themselves last year,” Byrne said. “They would open separate savings accounts” to make sure they had money for holiday toys, he said. Toys “R” Us, he said, is smart to tap into that consumer sentiment. “This is money that people can feel secure that they know that no matter what happens they’re going to be able to create the Christmas for their kids that they want to,” Byrne said, “That’s one of the things driving layaway and all this.”

The advantage of dedicated savings clubs, in the consumer’s mind, Byrne said, is that it makes them feel like the money won’t be spent on other necessities. “It’s not like I put it into the savings account and then the bathroom sink goes and there goes that money,” he said. The advantage for Toys “R” Us, he said, is that money saved through its plan will be spent at its stores. Cash refunds will not be allowed, except where required by law, the company said.

Kmart and Sears introduced a similar Christmas savings program last year.

As an incentive, Toys “R” Us will add a 3 percent bonus on the amount saved by Oct. 16, up to a maximum savings amount of $2,500. Customers who have saved the maximum amount would receive a $75 bonus.

“It gives consumers an opportunity to put money away, to budget themselves for Christmas, and to get paid a bonus for doing it,” said Ahearn. Participants will receive a Christmas Savers Card, similar to a gift card, and can add value at Toys “R” Us stores. The savings cards can be spent starting Oct. 31 at Toys “R” Us or Babies “R” Us stores.

The National Christmas Center will open a new exhibit on Saturday, July 10, 2010 featuring the Santa Claus Oath traveling display and photographs. The new exhibit will include information on Santa Claus portrayers of historical significance throughout the last century. This permanent exhibit will be donated to the National Christmas Center by the Santa Claus Oath Foundation.

Master of Ceremonies for the July 10, 2010 event will be Santa Dutch Schrap of Philadelphia. Santa Jerry Owens of New Albany, Indiana will represent the Santa Claus Oath Committee and Santa Jim Morrison of the National Christmas Center will cut the ribbon on the new exhibit.

As part of the ceremony, Santa Claus Oath videos will be available for viewing and the Santa Claus Oath book pages will be available for all Santas, Mrs. Clauses, Elves and Helpers to sign at the event. The pages will be added to the official Santa Claus Oath book. The Santa Claus Oath book along with other documents will be placed into a time capsule in November 2010 in Santa Claus, Indiana

The Santa Claus Oath document outlines eight principles that any portrayer of Santa Claus should follow. Created in April 2008 by Phillip L. Wenz, the Santa from Santa’s Village, the Oath was inspired by two legendary Santa Clauses, Jim Yellig of Santa Claus, Indiana, and Charles W. Howard of Albion, New York.

Since 2008 the Santa Claus Oath display has traveled to various Santa organizations throughout the world and has been presented at local and regional Santa Claus meetings. The Santa Claus Oath Foundation will also donate numerous historical pictures and stories for a look back on the people, places, and parades that helped shape the Santa Claus Legend.

“The Santa Claus Oath is a reminder to all who portray Santa of the ideals that Santa Claus stands for,” says Santa Jim Morrison. “We’re honored to have the Santa Claus Oath and these legendary Santas of the 20th Century become part of our museum!”

Many professional Santas will attend the ceremony representing their local and regional groups. The ceremony is part of the second annual Midsummer Yule Festival, an outdoor festival, held on-site at the National Christmas Center.