Santa entertainer Randyl Wagner in front of his home in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
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Santa entertainer Randyl Wagner in front of his home in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
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Before sunrise when Randyl Wagner wakes up to make his list and check it twice. As an entertainer for Santa Claus in suburban Detroit, Wagner doesn’t fill his sack with toys or prepare sleds. Instead, he spent a recent morning making video requests from Santa Claus, then reading books at the library. After lunch, he heads to Bass Pro Shop for 5 hours of meet and greets before returning home to record half a dozen more video messages to children around the world.
Being Santa in 2021 means getting little rest and using plenty of hand sanitizer. But you won’t hear Wagner complain.
“It was worth every second and I could sleep on December 26th,” he said.
Now that the vaccine is widely available, many are ready to celebrate in person this holiday season. But there are fewer people entertaining Santa than cheering. Those who stay are finding greater demand for their services than ever before.
Santa Randyl Wagner, entertainer prepares to record a virtual message.
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Santa Randyl Wagner, entertainer prepares to record a virtual message.
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Santa entertainer Randyl Wagner prepares to record a virtual message at his home.
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“Most of us work as hard as we can from early morning to late,” said Stephen Arnold, president and CEO of professional group IBRBS and a Memphis-based Santa entertainer. late evening.
Of course, Santa never notices how exhausted he can be.
“What they don’t realize is that Santa Claus comes from 9 to 11 [p.m.] Maybe start that morning at 8:30 or 8:30 or 9 at the daycare or have breakfast with Santa or something else,” Arnold said.
He points out that Christmas falls on a Saturday this year, making December only three weekends for holiday gatherings and extending the holiday season.
“There are only so many people that you can meet in one night and put it on your calendar,” says Arnold. His weekends have been booked since February.
COVID-19 has dropped the ranking of Santas
Like Santa himself, people who paint his portraits are often older and overweight, factors that can make them more susceptible to COVID-19.
“COVID is devastating for everyone, but it’s even more so for the Santa community because, honestly, most of us are obese,” Arnold said. hurt and obviously the number of Santas we’ve lost in our organization.”
Mitch Allen, CEO of HireSanta.com, a website that connects customers with Santa entertainers, said he knows of 335 Santa entertainers who have died in the past year. and he suspects the true number is even higher.
“2020 is going to be an even tougher year for the elderly, dealing with COVID,” he said.
To be clear, Allen said that not all of those deaths were due to COVID. But this number is higher than a typical year.
The threat of COVID is real for Santa entertainers this year. Arnold says he tries to be cautious, worried about how his job might affect his family.
“I have an immunocompromised wife who loves to stay at home,” he said. “If I brought something home, it would most likely have killed her if it hadn’t killed me.”
Santa entertainer Randyl Wagner reviews his Santa suit at home.
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Santa entertainer Randyl Wagner reviews his Santa suit at home.
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Randyl Wagner wears a Santa Claus costume and one of his many white gloves.
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When going to events, Randyl Wagner brings a pack of white cotton gloves so he can change them often. He also regularly dry-cleans his suit and maintains social distancing while performing Santa’s duties, meaning not sitting on Santa’s lap this year.
“I have hand sanitizer even though I wear gloves,” says Wagner. “And I always carry a mask.”
Others have chosen to retire, hang up their red suits, and give up their Santa duties. Allen estimates that, between those who die and retire, 10 to 15 percent fewer people work in entertainment this year. That, combined with a 120% increase in demand, means finding a sleigh-riding Santa is tough.
“We had almost 250 people contact us today to hire an entertainer for Santa,” he said late one day in November. “And we couldn’t have that many employees, if yes, among them.”
But the modern Santa community is a tight-knit community, with entertainers using Facebook groups and e-mail lists to spread the word about events that require Santa.
“We’re trying to fix any shortages you might have heard of,” Arnold said. “And regardless of what you may have heard, Santa will be there at Christmas.”
Decorations adorn Santa entertainer Randyl Wagner’s makeshift studio at his home.
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Decorations adorn Santa entertainer Randyl Wagner’s makeshift studio at his home.
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