Every year, as the 25th of December approaches, Santa Claus becomes the attraction of all the department stores: in the shopping centres, the children, although intimidated, rush towards the paunchy man with the white beard to photographed on his knees.

And in a somewhat forced voice, the hero of all brats asks them if they have been very good during the past twelve months.

But who is hiding behind the red coat?

Certainly not the real Santa Claus, too busy preparing for the big gift distribution tour!

To whom do we then entrust the heavy responsibility of replacing this legendary being?

There are many suitors for the costume, but beware, there is no substitute for Santa Claus who wants to...

From the North Pole to Pôle emploi

If, in some families, it is customary for the uncle with the round belly or the grandfather with white hair to take on the role of the man in red for an evening, for others, it is a real job.

And hiring Santa Clauses for the holidays is big business!

From September, job offers abound on the Pôle emploi site because many shopping malls, companies and event agencies want to unearth the perfect character.

This is the case of the Showpack & co company, which recruits more than a hundred Santas for its customers every year, as we were told by the marketing and communication department: "With us, it's the offer that the we sell the most because the rental of Santas is a business that is doing very well, to the point that we are very often in short supply from November onwards”

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Most of the time, candidates apply for half-day stipends and, the luckiest, for a one-month fixed-term contract.

Artists, not amateurs

But the competition between applicants is fierce!

It is not enough to put on a white beard and a red suit to be a good Santa Claus.

Whether it is Pôle emploi or event agencies, recruiters are above all looking for artists.

This is why the candidates are mostly comedians, entertainment workers or extras.

And, as crazy as it may seem, some ads sometimes even require several years of seniority as a professional Santa Claus to win the contract.

But it is also and above all necessary to have the head of the job.

A thin young man who does not know how to transform his voice will therefore have no chance of being selected.

Seasonal and precarious work

Even if the demand is strong, the job of Santa Claus remains a precarious job, often exercised by people for whom the search for a stable job is only a distant dream.

Most actors are paid the gross hourly wage and the best off can hope to walk away with €150 at the end of the day, sometimes more.

As for businesses and stores, they set aside a budget each year to provide entertainment on their premises.

Event agencies charge around €400 to hire a Santa Claus to their clients.

OUR “SANTA CHRISTMAS” FILE

Obviously, the more services there are, the more the prices increase.

Thus, for the elves, it will be necessary to pay an average of 650 €.

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