Did anyone not get the gift that they were expecting today?

Santa Shortage: Company Says ‘Vast Majority’ of Its 335 Santas Who Died Over Last Year Were COVID-Related

Companies such as Hire Santa, which is based in Fort Worth, Texas, have been unable to meet demand because the number of trained Santas has dramatically reduced from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There’s a huge demand,” said Hire Santa founder and head elf Mitch Allen. As a result of the shortage, some retailers have been forced to ask Santas to limit their hours or work substantially more hours.

Allen told Yahoo! that Hire Santa also “lost a tremendous number of Santas over the last 18 months.” He said that at least 335 of the Santas the company have hired in the past died in 2021, and COVID-19 was the leading cause of death. “As you can imagine, our Santa Claus entertainers are susceptible to a negative outcome if they catch COVID-19,” he added, stressing that the majority of the company’s Santas are older and possibly overweight men.

complex.com