It’s a merry crisis like no other – a combination of high demand and COVID-19 fears is causing a shortage of Santas across America.
People are finding it impossible to book Santas for parties, parades, and other functions, with the number of trained Santas unable to meet skyrocketing demand.
Mitch Allen, founder and “head elf” at Texas-based company Hire Santa, told CNN that while booking requests have doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels, the number of available Santas has dropped by 10%.
“We’ve been sold out on weekends for over a month, which is unusual. Usually, we get sold out after Thanksgiving,” he said.
While shopping centres generally booked their Santas earlier in the year, some retailers are having to either limit available Santa hours or ask them to work longer due to the shortage.
Santa schools saw fewer enrolments this year due to COVID, while long-term Santas are hanging up their red suits or taking the year off – but Santa companies are confident things should be back to normal by next year.
And besides, it’s not like the real Santa is planning to take the year off as well, right?
…Right?
