It's no secret that sandra lee loves being a ‘real’ santa | members only

Sandra Lee’s resume is jam-packed with entries — celebrity chef, best-selling author, Emmy-winning TV host — but there’s one that may surprise you: Accredited Santa Claus. “I actually have a

credential to be a real Santa,” the 58-year-old tells AARP. “There is a whole class you have to go away and do. I did that when I was still First Lady [of New York]. No one knew, though. I

wasn’t allowed to talk about it.” Now that the secret’s out, Lee plans to continue spreading holiday cheer with a series of QVC specials this season. Lee says every year she strives to shine

brighter — “I’m like, OK, if I only had 20 Christmases, what would I do? If I only had 30 Christmases, what would I do? For me, every one of them matters. And I plan them.” Lee spoke with

AARP about her most memorable holiday traditions and gifts, the Christmas movies and songs that delight her, and the challenges of bouncing back from her 2015 cancer diagnosis. _This

interview has been edited for length and clarity._ AFTER A CROSS-COUNTRY MOVE, WHAT ARE THE HOLIDAYS LIKE IN THE CALIFORNIA SUNSHINE? I’m going to the gardening center to buy leaves to put

them in my yard! I miss Westchester [County, New York] so much. You have no idea. WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION FOR YOUR HOLIDAY DECOR? Everywhere. From January on, because there are so many

beautiful trade shows not just in the United States but all over the world. For the last two Christmases, I have gone on European Market Cruises, which I highly recommend. IS IT A

WHOLE-HOUSE-DECORATED SITUATION? There’s a tree in every room. There’s a thing on every doorknob. When I was young, I was raised Jehovah’s Witness, so there was no birthday, there was no

Christmas, there was never a Halloween. I used to stand in front of the window at this house — I grew up in Sumner, Washington — going, “Can we just be Jehovah’s Witnesses next year?” WHEN

DID YOU START CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS? Well, when my mom got really, really sick, I think I was about 12 or 13 and she couldn’t really dictate any longer what was going on in the house. And

I got to take over. It was wonderful because I became — I wasn’t “Aunt Sandy Claus” yet (her nieces and nephews have been calling her that for years) — I was “Sandy the Elf”.… I actually

have a credential to be a real Santa. So I could go to a mall dressed up as an accredited Santa. There is a whole association and it is a whole class you have to go away and do. It is a

whole thing. HOW IS YOUR OWN HEALTH? [LEE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DUCTAL CARCINOMA IN SITU (DCIS) —  THE EARLIEST FORM OF BREAST CANCER —  IN 2015.] I’m still working on it. It is taking me

years. What happened in 2015 [Lee had a double mastectomy and in 2022 a hysterectomy after discovering a change in some cells] really stripped my body, and in stripping my body it’s been

hard to get it back.... So I work on that every single day. HAS YOUR MINDSET CHANGED SINCE YOUR CANCER DIAGNOSIS? I live my life and what I want to do. I’m definitely looking at my bucket

list and what I want to get done. There was something I wanted to do. I wanted to spend the night at the Ritz in London on Christmas Eve and go to the ball. I did that with my uncle, but we

didn’t stay at the Ritz — but I did that with Ben [boyfriend/actor Ben Youcef, 45] last year and it was lovely.