A Santa shortage brought on by the pandemic, showing no signs of easing. For the most part, the always popular weekend Santa bookings have been filled for months. A Tuesday lunch visit or milk and cookies on a Thursday evening about all that is left.
He dresses in red, is quite jolly, and he is in DEMAND!
"I feel so bad, I have to keep turning everything down," said Dan Greenleaf, co-founder of the New England Santa Society.
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A Santa shortage brought on by the pandemic is showing no signs of easing. For the most part, the always popular weekend Santa bookings have been filled for months. A Tuesday lunch visit or milk and cookies on a Thursday evening about all that is left.
The New England Santa Society even stressing a Santa summer camp this year to help fill the void. Even that couldn't help keep up with requests.
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"It is very very busy," Greenleaf added. "We have more events out there than we can hope to fill."
Greenleaf says it used to be just big businesses requesting Santa this time of year. That has since changed.
"The demand has risen drastically, especially among small businesses and organizations and instead of bringing Santa in for an hour, they are bringing them in for four, five, and six hours," he said.
At Boston Costume in Cambridge, demand is leading to D-I-Y.
"It is a very tight ticket to get Santa," Eric Propp said. "We have everything, the suits to buy and rent, and also accessories, wigs and beards if you don't have the beard ready."
Propp says people are coming in to rent full Santa outfits, deciding to play Santa themselves.
Mitch Allen, head elf at HireSanta.com, a national santa booking website, says he can't believe the demand.
"The actual people who have booked events is up 152 percent this year," he said. "In the Boston area, there is absolutely just huge demand, we have sold out on weekends."
Allen says he is also seeing big spikes in requests for minority Santa and Mrs. Claus, too.
"We are seeing demand like we have never seen before," he said.
Greenleaf, with the New England Santa Society, says he continues to try and recruit new Santas, hoping this will be the last of the worries.
"I could always find somebody to fill an opportunity and give these families the Santas they wanted, and this year, I feel so bad I have to keep turning everything down," he said.
No matter the demand woes, Santa assures us all will work itself out in time for the main event -- Christmas.
