Santas shake it up at annual summer meet

[July 24, 2012]  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- If Santa looks thinner than usual come Christmas, it may have something to do with Zumba, the Latin-inspired dance fitness craze.

A Zumba exercise class with hula hoops was a novelty at this year's World Santa Congress, which brings St. Nicks from around the globe to an amusement park in Copenhagen this week.

"It was a sweaty experience and it didn't help having an extra 10 pounds of clothing on, but now I'm hooked. I think I will be doing some more Zumba in my spare time," chuckled Douglas Gowin, a 57-year-old Santa from Washington, D.C.

Now in its 55th consecutive year, the four-day World Santa Congress has more workouts on the schedule, including an obstacle course in which Santas must go down a chimney and climb an ice mountain.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.