Santa Struggles in Recession While Elves Still Work Overtime
KEY POINTS
- •Hire Santa’s Mitch Allen reported a nearly 30% drop in Santa gig requests in 2025 versus 2024 due to the economy.
- •Fewer mall Santas show up because malls are closing and holiday shoppers prefer online convenience.
- •Texas professional Santa Wade Wells noted COVID-19 halted new Santas entering the field, but retirees could fill the gap.
Mitch Allen, the head honcho at Hire Santa, revealed that prospective Santa requests plunged nearly 30% in 2025 compared to last year — itself a drop from 2023’s desperate search for cookie-munching beard-wearers. Despite Christmas cheer persisting, parties shrank like a wool sweater in a dryer, dropping Santa gigs from malls (which are disappearing faster than mistletoe at a singles party) and offices due to online shopping’s merciless click-and-collect reign. Adding to the festive irony, COVID-19 stuck a lump of coal in Santa recruitment, leaving Wade Wells, a Texas Santa veteran, lamenting the lack of new Claus candidates. Meanwhile, some retirees might step in, banking on their 'Santa mold,' because hey, elderly elves gotta work too. Ed Taylor of Worldwide Santa Claus Network reassures that AI won’t steal their jingle job since nobody buys viral TikTok hugs from robots.
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Santa's hiring freeze is so real even the North Pole is considering layoffs. Maybe next year elves will unionize before Kris party crashes.
As malls vanish and Zoom Santas rise, the holiday spirit is now sponsored by buffering and bad Wi-Fi.
Turns out seasonal jobs are more volatile than eggnog at an office party — even Papa Claus got pink slipped.
Source: Axios | Published: 12/24/2025 | Author: Courtenay Brown
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