A great Santa Claus isn't born - he's made.

That's the contention of Calgarian Victor Nevada, who has thrilled kids for more than 20 years playing the jolly man and is starting a course and Internet site to teach aspiring Santas. "A lot of the Santas I've met have their hearts in the right place, but they're not all well turned-out," he said. "We want our graduates to hear kids tell their parents: 'Mom, Dad, that was the real Santa.' " With his white hair and long beard, Nevada, 56, plans to devote part of his two-day, $200 course on Santa Claus' evolution over the years from a mythical figure in Nordic cultures to the red-suited, rotund man popularized by Norman Rockwell's paintings and even the old Coca-Cola advertisements of the 1930s. Students will also design their own costumes and learn make-up tips and how to sound and move like a real Santa. With his website, www.santaschool.com, Nevada plans to offer a resource for Santas and for people looking for a reliable one for their function -- only Santas with good references and clean police checks will be listed.