HO HO HO! Fashion Santa is in the house!
GGN Publisher Shaun Proulx sat down on Fashion Santa’s lap (AKA Paul Mason) for their annual tete-a-tete on the Shaun Proulx Show, SiriusXM Canada Talks 167.
Santa was dressed all in red, right down to his ruby shoes, outdoing Shaun’s cozy, cashmere-esque (looking like he’s so-ready-for-bed sweater-nay-housecoat). Just look at the two of them in the picture above! Don’t they look like they’re about to get all cozy on a thick rug by a roaring fire, with chestnuts in hand, and, since no one will be watching, one of snuggle blankets you can only order on late night TV?
#FashionSanta
The brain-child of supermodel Paul Mason, #FashonSanta works to make people happy, bring them joy, and raise money for meaningful charities. There’s a lot of ho-ho-ho-ing happening in this episode, and if you listen carefully, Proulx keeps making the moves on Mason (sounds more like, “hoe-hoe-hoe” to me, however it was clearly Mason making the first moves on Proulx if you listen to their first-ever interview here; ANYWAY WOULD YOU TWO JUST GET A ROOM!). But ’tis the season to be merry, and isn’t that what makes gay men so special? Sometimes we need to be a little bit naughty.
Hear the Mason and Proulx conversation now:
Mason has toured the world, working with the likes of Armani and Versace, and even graced the cover of Vogue. Proulx recounts when he first met Mason, at a party. Mason introduced himself at the time when Proulx was the afternoon drive host on PROUD FM, and told him: “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
Years later, Mason literally “became” Fashion Santa shortly after his mother passed away. He was so grief-stricken that he slept for six months during a depressed state, during which time he stopped shaving.
When he came out of his depression he had grown a full, white beard (perhaps not as sleek and styled as now) – Mason had literally transformed into Santa Claus. This was the beginning of #FashionSanta, and what would become a legacy to his mother’s memory.
In 2017, Mason was dealing with a very challenging legal situation around the ownership of his name-sake, Fashion Santa. He felt like the world was out to get him, convinced that he was right, and that he was being horribly wronged. Proulx, who coaches one-on-one, was with Mason on the phone, coaching him through his stuck-point about what was happening in his life.
Proulx asked, “Which would you rather be: happy, or not?”
Mason said, “Happy.”
Then Proulx asked, “Would you rather be right or wrong?” Mason respond, “I would rather be right”.
Then Proulx asked, “Would you rather be happy or be right?”
Mason said “Right.” And then understood Proulx’s point, made more clear when Proulx said simply, “Sometimes you have to give up your need to be right, so you can be happy.
Talking through these perceived problems helped Mason realize that he was making himself a part of the problem, and allow it to define him. In retrospect he realized that those challenges were “mind problems” – challenges with the way in which he was thinking at the time that were not allowing him to move forward in life.
Mason now spends most of his time attaching himself to a number of meaningful charities.
For the month of December he’s doing a special Fashion Santa Ritz-Carlton tour of four cities: Toronto, Boston, Miami, and D.C. (Georgetown).
In each location he will be working to raise money for different organizations. In Toronto the event is, Not So Silent Night, a fundraiser for Sick Kids Hospital. In Miami and Boston he will be raising money for the Boys and Girls Club of America, and in D.C. the Children’s National Hospital.
The #FashionSanta Initiative with the Ritz is about doing selfies photos with Santa in the beautifully appointed spaces of the Ritz Carleton. Guest make a donation, enjoy a drink, celebrate the holidays, and take a selfie with Fashion Santa. This is a unique way for a high-end brands like the Ritz to funnel donations into meaningful charities in a fun and interesting way.
If you are in the Toronto area on December 23rd and would like to come our for drinks, dancing, selfies with Fashion Santa, and help raise money for Toronto Sick Kids Hospital, get your tickets at www.NotSoSilentNight.ca.
Follow Paul Mason on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Shaun Proulx Media, Inc., publisher of GGN, had a fabulous, intimate pre-holiday thank-you gathering with special guest star, Woodford Reserve Whiskey.
Thankfully I had an invitation (being the editor has its benefits) and enjoyed the curated whisky tasting (the Reserve Double Oaked was my favourite) and dining experience with a three-course meal served in the Glass House at the elegant Spoke Club in Toronto.
I enjoyed a conversation with Fashion Santa on his “origin story” over a special Spoke-crafted Manhattan made with Woodford and the best cherry I’ve ever had (ahem) – can you say, “bottoms up”? Our host was thoughtful enough to give us Uber codes to “get home safely”. Funny how mine didn’t work. Was it because I had my mouth open half the time? Which, by the way, is how you sniff whiskey – with your nose above, not in the glass (as you would with red wine) and mouth open to allow the aroma to cross the palette.
 host Toronto Sick Kids Hospital fundraiser, Not So Silent Night with the Ritz Carlton.){kind=link}