France cannot find enough people to be Father Christmas this year

France is being hit by an unusual shortage this winter - a lack of people willing to play the role of Father Christmas in schools, shopping centres, and local businesses.

The increasing demand for Father Christmases, along with the rather limited number of people who can effectively don the role, has left event planners having to turn down requests to provide Santas. 

One actor near Lyon who has been a ‘professional Santa’ for three years has already received over 30 requests to play the role and has had to turn some down.

What is causing the shortage? 

The upshot in demand is only one of a number of problems causing the shortage. 

Whilst the character profile for Father Christmas needs to fit a certain mould – white beard, deep voice, past a certain age, perhaps rather portly – solutions can be found to make almost anyone look Santa-esque. 

In public spaces however, such as shopping centres, an in-house solution is not possible and the Santas also need to be vetted via criminal record checks to ensure they can work with children for long hours in the day

“When you reach a certain age, after retirement, the days are really tiring... especially as they don't get a break: half an hour to eat and that's it,” said recruitment specialist Lorine Bartoll to BFMTV. 

“Kids screaming all day long, disrespectful parents… I think [some Santas] get fed up,” she added. 

One particular case in 2020 saw a Santa in Blois (Loir-et-Cher) quit on the spot after angry parents told him ‘to go back to the North Pole’.

Despite the sometimes difficult clientele, actors have to stay in character as a jolly, gentle Santa throughout the day, which sounds much easier than it is when faced with issues such as crying children and aggressive parents.

Media agencies are turning to social media in a desperate bid to fill the gaps after failing to find actors through their usual channels. 

Some agencies report having to do around double the work to find a single Santa this year, a process that must be repeated hundreds of times to fulfil all requests.

It means some events are having to look at in-house alternatives (finding a person who somewhat resembles the character and is willing to do the job) or forego altogether an appearance from Father Christmas, who is ‘too busy at his workshop’ to come. 

Read more: Who gets a free Christmas parcel from the mairie in France?

Thousands of euros per week in pay possible

The best Santas can earn thousands of euros per week according to Miss Bartoll. 

However, even this is not enough to tempt some into the role, as the extreme short-term nature of the contracts — nobody wants a Father Christmas in July – means people who work or have other commitments cannot take the role up.

Those who are retired and have the time available may prefer to spend their December days with family as opposed to being Father Christmas, with the money unable to sway them. 

If you think you could be an effective Santa, there is likely no shortage of roles available close to you, however you will need to speak perfect French and have the patience of Saint Nicholas to put on the red suit. 

You can find advertisements for Father Christmas roles by contacting local agencies, or on national recruitment sites such as HelloWork.

One positive note for children is that even if they cannot see Father Christmas in person, they will surely receive a reply if they write to him and send their letter via La Poste. 

Read more: How children in France can write to ‘Père Noël’ for Christmas