This 'hot Santa' is getting everyone into the Christmas spirit

A shopping centre has found the queue to meet Santa is getting steadily longer as word spreads of a very merry glow-up North Pole, resident, Mr. Claus, has undergone this year.

“West Ed Santa.... kinda hot. Not gonna lie,” a local mum wrote online, which sparked an unexpected flurry of responses to the Santa, who has taken up shop at West Edmonton Mall in Canada.

Santa appreciation

Some jumped in on the commentary, aghast at the sexy appreciation of sacred Saint Nick.

“Hose. Yourself. Down. It’s SANTA !!!!!” one horrified woman wrote.

Others were keen to pay a visit to Santa, too.

“I need like borrow someone's kid to check out this Santa,” one woman wrote.

“Something tells me you're going back to "see" Santa at West Ed again,” another teased.

Others took to Santa’s Facebook page to share the love.

“Kinda hot”? I’d say snow melter,” one joked.

The shopping centre in question was West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, and the mall itself reached out the enamoured mum online.

“We will be sure to convey the message!” they assured her.

To her evident horror, one response even came from the handsome man beneath the beard himself.

“Haha. Cheers!” Santa responded.

“Oh boy,” the flustered mum responded, adding she was married and just an appreciative onlooker when another person suggested the two get to know each other beneath some mistletoe.

The man behind the beard

But who is this handsome man between Christmas shifts?

The big man, or fit man as the case seems to be, himself is artist and designer Steven Teeuwsen with a beard destined for Christmas greatness.

The 38-year-old is an Alberta native and underwent a silver transformation just in time for Christmas.

He tells Yahoo Lifestyle getting Santa ready is no easy matter.

“I shave in January and grow my beard all year. It takes quite a few bleaches and tones to get it snowy white,” he says.

Photos on social media show the Santa shift-worker cuddling up to adorable pups, clad in hipster glasses and striking a pose with very enthusiastic fans.

Off-season the graphic designer cuts a very different figure with light brown hair and a decidedly younger look.

He says while he find the comments flattering he doesn’t want it to cut into the real reason for Santa.

“As a Santa Claus performer I want the focus to be on the magic of Christmas and I wouldn't want any of this to take away from the childlike wonder of the season,” he tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

“That said, Santa is for everyone and having fun with the character is OK with me. The comments are flattering, but I have deleted a few that I thought were offside.”

Safe to say we’ll all be trying extra hard to make the nice list this year.

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