In one sense, there was nothing unusual about what Dwight Gooden was doing Tuesday night. In the spirit of the holiday season, he had been summoned to dress like Santa Claus and, as a result, was decked out in a red suit and hat, a curly white wig and beard, and a pair of wire rim glasses.

But Gooden, who is a grandfather, wasn’t in costume because he was taking part in a family party or something similar. Instead, his first turn as jolly old St. Nicholas came in a front room at the Vivid Cabaret in Midtown Manhattan, a place that is politely described as a gentlemen’s club.

This meant Gooden was surrounded by a half-dozen young women clad in abbreviated Santa’s elves costumes, each of whom took turns sitting on Santa’s — make that Gooden’s — lap.

“It’s Christmastime, and I got a lot of presents to buy,” Gooden said in explanation. “I got seven kids, four grandkids, with another on the way any minute now, and two ex-wives. So every dollar counts.”