It’s seven at night and Santa Claus is searching in the pockets of his big red jacket for the keys to the house he rents in Miami to spend the Christmas season.
He looks thinner than he is seen in the movies, but he is undoubtedly Santa: he is revealed by his unmistakable white beard, immense leather boots and a large scarlet coat.
A few seconds later, an minivan color ocher parks in front of the house and two more get off : As if it were the beginning of a holiday joke, now there are three Santa Claus trying to open the door of a house.
Their real names are Leon McBride, Lee Andrews and Rick Hyman . These three friends travel each year more than hours by road to this city in the state of Florida from their homes in Georgia and Virginia for play the most iconic character of the N Christmas in shopping centers and events .
And now they do it at a good time: with an exponential increase in the number of Americans vaccinated against covid – 19, shoppers are choosing to return to physical stores rather than looking for gifts online, which immediately translates into increased demand for Santas around the country.
But, although the health emergency has improved compared to 2020, not all Santas feel as calm as Rick, Leon and Lee from working during a pandemic.
And this, according to some industry insiders, is creating a shortage of Santas in the US .
The origin of the shortage
In 2020, the pandemic had a particular effect on the Santa Claus community of interpreters: due to the typical characteristics of the character and how they are related to the covid – 19 (generally Saint Nicholas is a man older than 60 years overweight, two high risk factors) many have decided not to work this Christmas.
“In fact,” explained to BBC Mundo Mitch Allen , creator of the company HireSanta.com (Hire Santa ), “We have lost more than 335 Santas only in 2021 due to covid and other factors, and we lost even more last year. ”
For Tim Connaghan, who has the honorary title of “National Saint” due to his work in parades and national campaigns and who develops the annual “Red Suit” survey, the health risks posed by the pandemic have made the availability of Santas much lower this year.
“We have many families who are very cautious and many cautious Santas too […] In my survey, 18% of the Santas said they were not going to work this year, ”Connaghan explained to BBC Mundo.
“But also the 30% said they would work through video conferencing services, such as Zoom ”, he added.
Virtual Santa
Rick Hyman, one of the three Santas who work in Miami during the season of Christmas, doubt there is a shortage of Santas performers. For him, the issue is more of a change that is taking place in the business.
“I don’t think there is a shortage of Santas. I think most discovered the virtual world and have turned to those services because they like it better that way, ”says Hyman.
Allen agrees that the demand for video calling services with the Santas increased, especially during 2020, although he says that this year people are looking for a “more traditional” experience.
“The number of virtual visits on our platform has dropped dramatically. Last year it skyrocketed […] but this year it has dropped, because people are tired of FaceTime and Zoom ”, Allen says.
And for more traditional Santas, Like Hyman, home visits and having direct contact with children are still vital: “We continue to want to meet children, we want them on our knees […] because when a child looks you in the eye, they look directly at you al alma. ”
A high cost, but lucrative business
Lee Andrews is the youngest of the three Santas who rent the house in Miami this end of the year. With scarcely 30 years, Lee told BBC Mundo that although the Santas business can be “very lucrative”, it also requires a large investment.
“It is expensive to do what we do,” says Lee while showing the leather boots of his disguise. “Only custom made boots cost US $ 1. 000 ”.
Rick Hyman, from 75 years, is another of the Santas who traveled to Miami. He started his career at a family party ago 20 years in a cheap costume that she bought at a department store for US $ 50 Dollars . Today he says that his investment has increased exponentially.
“If you are going to invest thousands of dollars in clothing and things like that, I can guarantee that you are managing a business,” he explains Rick.
Lee adds: “We have friends who can do more from US $ 100. 10 in a month and a half being Santa. It really depends on your mindset and how hard you want to work. ”
“ It depends on the mindset you see it with: in terms of Santas, probably just the 35% or 40% see it as a business ”, says Lee.
A traditional Santa
Leon McBride, from 78 years, takes 15 years traveling to the South Florida in the Christmas season to play Santa Claus. With 40 years in entertainment, including a long career as a clown in the Ringling Brothers circus, is the most experienced of the three.
And he says that, despite the technology, there are elements of his work that can only be done in the traditional way, that is, talking to the children directly.
“They want to approach you and tell you what happens to them […] And sometimes we They ask things that we cannot answer as if you say ‘what do you want for Christmas’ and they say ‘I want my dad to come back because he died’ “.
” One of the things What I have realized that children like is that you listen to them. Sit down, have them look you in the face and talk. And when they realize that you’re really paying attention, that’s when they uncover, ”says McBride.
That is why he undertakes his journey to Miami every year. He says that people in South Florida are friendlier and this allows him to do his job better. Lee agrees on this point, visiting Miami for the first time to play Saint Nicholas.
“Whether you do it [interpretar a Santa] as a business or as a charity, you have to do it to the best of your abilities because when there is a bad Santa, we all look bad” , says Lee.
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