鈥淗o-Ho-Ho!鈥� has turned to 鈥淣o-No-No!鈥�
Santa is in short supply this year, according to Mitch Allen, founder and head elf at , the Fort Worth company that operates as a clearing house for many Santas nationwide.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 keep up,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople, companies, organizations want their Santa Claus.鈥�
HireSanta.com is seeing a 30% increase in demand over 2021 and up 125% over pre-pandemic levels in people, and organizations reaching out to his company to have Santa at an event, Allen said.
鈥淲e just don鈥檛 have enough Santa Claus entertainers to meet the huge demand that we鈥檙e seeing,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or every one new Santa that reaches out to us, there are 20 people that need Santa. He鈥檚 in demand.鈥�
The founder and head elf of HireSanta.com said there are over 2,250 jobs for full-season Santas, elves, and other holiday entertainers open across the industry.
Santa鈥檚 knee is back in demand, Allen said.
In-person visits are increasing, while virtual visit demand has gone down dramatically from pandemic levels, Allen said. Virtual visits fell 85% in 2021 from 2020 and now 2022 looks to be 50% less than in 2021.
鈥淢ost clients are moving back to sitting on Santa鈥檚 knee, and not considering COVID in their holiday plans in the same way they did last year,鈥� he said.
More companies and families are seeking a 鈥淪anta experience鈥� rather than the traditional mall visit.
鈥淧eople and companies are looking for a Santa event and so that generally means more Santa or other entertainers are needed, so that increases the demand as well,鈥� he said.
Allen sees several reasons for the shortage.
鈥淥n the demand side of it, more and more companies are using hired Santas to help associate their brands with Christmas,鈥� he said.
Santa is associated with things being back to normal following the pandemic and companies want to make that association, he said.
On the supply side, Allen notes that COVID was tough on Santas, who tend to be older.
鈥淵ou can imagine that Santas 鈥� at least those of a certain age 鈥� are at a higher likelihood for a negative outcome if they get COVID,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o we sadly lost a great number of Santas, and then many Santas decided to hang up the red coat.鈥�
Allen said the company鈥檚 Santa database was down 15% in 2021 from 2020, but he doesn鈥檛 yet know if there has been another decrease this year.
Like other companies looking to hire employees, HireSanta.com has been out recruiting.
鈥淲e worked all year going to Santa conventions, and Santa schools and there, yes, there are those things, all over the country to recruit new and existing Santas,鈥� he said.
Vince Rosen is one Santa who still dons the red coat. The 70-year-old with a white beard has been working as a Santa for more than a decade.
鈥淲e had a couple of tough years, but now it鈥檚 coming back,鈥� he said.
Rosen, who lives in Denton, said he used to do about 50 events during the holiday season pre-pandemic and he now does about 35.
鈥淪ome things have come back, but there are still some clients I used to have that have not started up with Santa events again,鈥� he said.
The personal touch can鈥檛 be beat when it comes to having a visit from Santa.
鈥淚 went to see a family last weekend, and I鈥檝e been going to visit for the past six years,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I told the now 6-year-old kid what he asked for last year, it made a real impression. I love that.鈥�
Rosen works almost exclusively through HireSanta.com now. He said having someone to handle the administrative side of booking events and visits makes a lot of difference.
鈥淚 used to do all that myself and there were always issues,鈥� he said. 鈥淗aving HireSanta.com do that lets me do what I love doing and that鈥檚 being Santa.鈥�
Rosen was in the original video that HireSanta.com used when the company appeared on ABC鈥檚 鈥溾�� in 2018. Shark Barbara Corcoran鈥檚 offer of $200,000 for 10 percent with the condition that HireSanta pays back the investment with 50% of the profits was accepted by Allen. Corcoran is still a partner in the business, Allen said.
Allen is seeing demand across the board for Santa.
鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing more interest in diverse Santas. From Black Santas and Mrs. Clauses to deaf Santa, Spanish speaking, and even female Santa Claus entertainers are in demand,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o there鈥檚 more opportunity for people wanting to be Santa than ever before too.鈥�
is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy.