Trump's economic troubles shrink market for Santa Claus impersonators

Donald Trump's economy might be a boon for the wealthiest 10% of Americans, but conditions remain challenging for most others, especially those looking to find a job. According to a Christmas Eve report from Axios, this "labor market pinch" is now impacting one of the most seasonal jobs of them all: Santa Claus.

On Wednesday, Axios reported that the appetite for Santa Claus impersonators in the US has dried up significantly this year. While recent economic troubles are certainly to blame for some Americans cutting out St. Nick from their party budgets, some of the problem has also been "structural and long in the making."

Mitch Allen, operator of Hire Santa, a staffing agency for holly-jolly impersonators, gave the lay of the tough landscape in a statement to Axios.

"People are still having Christmas celebrations, but they are not having as big of an event at their home or office," he said. "They might not have entertainers."

Allen also spoke to NPR about the situation earlier in December, explaining that calls to his agency inquiring about Kris Kringle actors for "malls, schools, offices or a private event" were down 30% compared to the same time in 2024.

For mall Santas in particular, Axios noted, the issues run deeper than recent hardships. As more and more malls have closed up shop over the last few decades, there has naturally been a decline in the demand for impersonators to meet with children during mall shopping trips.

The lagging demand is also being worsened by an increase in the number of impersonators available. While the COVID-19 pandemic saw the number of Santa look-a-likes plummet, the category has rebounded since then, thanks to increased staffing efforts from places like Hire Santa.

"We've worked hard over the last five years to increase the number of Santas that we have in our database," Allen said

Axios also noted that broader demographic shifts in the US towards an older population, on average, have also contributed to there being more Santa Claus performers on the market than consumers need.