The Cost of Being "Santa Claus".

Do you remember as a child, going to the local mall where you saw Santa Claus?  He was there everyday between Thanksgiving and Christmas and you ended up standing in line just so you could tell him exactly what you wanted for Christmas this year?

This is one of those seasonal jobs you might want to talk about in class next year.  This job has certain requirements and costs.  For instance, to be successful, a person needs to have a certain look.  

The look includes a proper red suit which can run between $800 and $1200 for a high quality one.  It is possible to pay less but it won't look as good and Santa wants to look their best.  It is important to have at least two suits because people, including Santa, spill things on themselves and little ones can have sticky fingers.  Then they have to purchase appropriate boots, a thick belt with a proper belt buckle which runs between $250 and $400.  Don't forget that one has to properly clean the suit on a regular basis so that costs between $50 and $150 each time.

To stand out as Santa, it is important to customize the suit by adding buttons that run between $6 and $75 each, or keys, or pouches.  Furthermore, Santa has to have the proper colored hair and beard to go with the outfit.  A realistic beard and wig combination will run a person between $1500 and $2000, depending on the type.  By type, I mean is it a short beard, medium, or long one and you would want a custom one so it looks real.  In addition, you'll need to consider spending another $200 or so per year to have the wig/beard sets cleaned and maintained for the next year.

If someone uses their own beard and hair, they have to make sure it is of the same silvery white one sees in pictures and that can run between $100 to $300 per session.  If a person wants to be Santa, it is also recommended they carry Santa liability insurance policy just in case.  The suggested amount is in the 2 to 4 million dollar range for proper protection.  

Then if you want to stand out, you will lay out between $250 and $550 to attend "Santa" School to learn the finer points of being Santa.  These schools provide the necessary skills to make it as a professional Santa who will entertain everyone and learn more about doing a proper job.  Enrolling in one of these schools will improve a person's chances of making more money doing the job.  Since much of the world is digital, there is even one school that provides online classes for potential Santas.  

This is the cost of becoming Santa and yearly outlays to continue being Santa.  So what can a person earn as Santa each year?  Well, that depends on several factors but according to two different sources most professional Santas earn between $5000 and $8000 per year with some earning between $15,000 to $20,000 annually.  If you work at a mall or are hired by a professional photo company to pose with children, the median pay rate is said to be $41 per hour.  The better the Santa, the more money a person can earn.  One article said if a person looks and behaves like a "real" Santa, has had proper training, and has the right attitude, they can earn up to $500 per hour.  Unfortunately, the season is generally limited to November and December so it is considered a seasonal job.  

Maybe next December, you can share this with students as one of those jobs you don't think about.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.