CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There could be a shortage of Santa’s helpers this holiday season, according to industry experts. While Santa is busy getting toys ready to deliver on Christmas Eve, his helpers in the Charlotte area are in short supply.
Hire Santa is a company that helps people find and hire Santa's helpers around the world for events, parties, parades, and more.
“We have thousands of Santa Claus entertainers that we like to say are real-bearded, real-bellied, and real jolly,” Mitch Allen, the head elf at Hire Santa, said.
According to Hire Santa, demand for Jolly Old St. Nick is up more than 121% this holiday season compared with 2019 and 2020.
There are also fewer Santa's helpers to go around after losing some to COVID-19, some retiring, and some having concerns about contracting COVID-19, Allen added.
The company says it's added 600 to 800 Santa's helpers over the last couple of years, but now it’s down to about the same amount after losing many for different reasons.
“It is a dramatic shortage,” Allen said. “We are already sold out across the country on several dates in December.”
If you want a visit from one of Santa's helpers, Allen said plan on having some flexibility with dates or consider a virtual visit.
The company is also looking to bring on more Santa's helpers, so if think you have what it takes to double as Kris Kringle, Allen said to give it a shot.
"If you have that love, that Christmas spirit, or if people come up and ask you, hey, you look a lot like Santa Claus, you’re probably somebody that we could definitely use,” Allen added.
Charlotte’s own “Santa Doug” has been portraying Santa for more than 40 years.
"Being Santa is a lot more involved than just sitting on a chair and having kids come up to you,” Doug Eberhart, head of the Charlotte Area Christmas Performers, said. “There's a lot to do with just performance, singing, entrance, exit."
Eberhart has mastered the moves of Santa over the years. So much so, he even runs the Pro Santa School in Matthews twice a year.
But never in all his years of donning the big red suit has he ever seen demand for Santa’s helpers like he has this year.
"It's gone through the roof,” Eberhart said. “In fact, you know, right now, I have 80 gigs right now, and most of the people won't even start thinking about this until we get closer to Christmas."
Eberhart said he had 70 to 75 gigs in 2019, for reference, and he usually doesn’t book up until much later in the season.
Last year, Santa's helpers across the country adjusted to socially distanced photo sessions, virtual visits, or parades through neighborhoods, but this year, the parties are back on, putting a pinch on the Kris Kringle lookalikes.
"I think it's going to be a banner year,” Eberhart said. “There's people just saying they're sold out already. They don't have any more time slots."
Eberhart said Santa's helpers will do their best to make it to the events they can, but it will require people booking Santa's helpers to start looking at weekday appearances or days that aren’t as busy.
Eberhart predicts this trend will continue into 2022, and he’s urging people to book Santa appearances by August or September next year to make sure they can nail down a visit from St. Nick.
Contact Kendall Morris at kmorris2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.