Image Shows People 'Studying' to Become Mall Santas, People Surprised to Know Santa Industry Exists

Christmas is still a few months away, and with the COVID-19 pandemic going on, we might have to change the way we celebrate the holiday season this year--and for the first time in years, we might not see mall Santas and long lines of kids waiting to whisper their wishes.

The Santa University

But speaking of mall Santas, a popular image on Reddit showing a bunch of middle-aged men, who looked well into their 80s with all the white hair and beard, has gained thousands of upvotes from the community, with the majority of people commenting that they were unaware that a Santa Industry exists, and that it's actually a big one.

The image was uploaded by Redditor u/FizzyDrink113 in one of the platform's subreddits.

According to the Redditor, the picture was caught when the men were training to become professional mall Santas in Noerr Programs Santa University.

In a past article by Reader's Digest, the "Santa University" is run by Noerr Programs Corporation, which includes four days of intensive, several rounds of interviews, and an extensive background check and starts every August of each year in Arvad, California, which practically means they have more time to get ready to become Santa after they graduate from the "university."

And yes, men who wanted to become professional Santas should also sport real long beards.

Providing Professional Mall Santas

According to the article, Noerr is responsible for providing mall Santas to more than 270 malls across the United States.

"It's amazing to sit with all these guys in their red shirts and suspenders," Ruth Rosenquist, director of Noerr's PR, said in an interview with Mental Floss. "You look up, and you're speaking to Santa. It's the best audience in the world."

Among the things they learn during these four days of intensive training is how to handle children, especially managing sticky conversations, as well as how to hold children and basically the dos and don'ts of the industry.

Also, they do learn about how they could maintain their hair and beard since these are the signature look of any Santa.

The Industry Secrets

Speaking of hair and beard, one commenter on the Reddit post who has worked with professional Santas shared that most of them are only around 45 to 50 years old and that they bleach their hair and beard to make it white--after all, not everyone could grow white hair and beard, and they don't really get it until they are really old.

However, there is also the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas, who apparently only allow members that have real grey or white hair and full natural beards.

So, how much money do these mall Santas make?

According to a fellow Reddit user who commented on the past, a professional Santa could earn around $300 an hour, which would coincide with another RD post stating that these pro Santas could make around $7,000 to $10,000 a season.

Nevertheless, they'd have to sit around for 10 hours for about 40 days, listening to approximately 30,000 children each season.

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Written by: Nhx Tingson