Clinging to his mother’s arms, speechless, Lizandro stares at the imposing plastic throne on which Bertrand* is installed. The 56-year-old man, long red coat, fake beard glued to his face and round glasses, seems to intrigue her as much as he worries her. “Do you want to take a picture with Santa Claus?”, offers his father, delighted. Negative response from the person concerned, who quickly detaches himself from his contemplation to bury his frightened face in the maternal scarf. After a short negotiation, the little boy will end up taking his place on the knees of the fifty-year-old for the traditional “Christmas photo”. “We came on purpose for that. This party is important for us, it will be a memory for life”, explain the parents, far from being put off by the price of the shot, displayed at 10 euros each and taken by a professional photographer. In the reception hall of this shopping center in Ile-de-France, they are not the only ones to have been enchanted by the “magic of Christmas”: in half an hour, no less than six children parade in front of Bertrand, attracted by the luminous garlands and the multitude of cardboard gifts placed at his feet.
“It doesn’t stop. There are days when it’s almost continuous, it’s quite impressive”, testifies the actor, wrapped up in his costume. A few years ago, this Parisian was approached by the organizer of the event “whom he knows well”, to become the establishment’s official Santa Claus. “I know it’s not easy to find the right interpreter. They were looking for someone they could trust, who would make the effort to be friendly, to talk to people… So I said yes, out of challenge”, he explains. For a three-week service, this “author of short fiction” will receive the hourly minimum wage, or 11.07 euros per hour – accompanied by a few tips from understanding parents. “With five to seven hours of work a day, it allows me to supplement my ends of the month. But do not believe that the job is always easy!”.
With his false belly, his high boots and his hat, Bertrand recognizes that he regularly suffers from the heat. Faced with sudden peaks in attendance, irritated parents or the whims of certain children, Santa Claus sometimes has to make some effort to keep smiling. “Sometimes I feel a bit like a figurehead, he admits. But it also allows me to have great memories”. Last year, a little girl who feared that “Santa Claus would catch cold” offered her a scarf, while other children gave her their precious pacifier in exchange for future gifts. “It’s important to please these families, so I give everything,” says Bertrand, who claims to have learned about the history of Santa Claus, to have learned a few anecdotes in case of questions from children (or parents) , and of course having practiced the famous “Oh oh oh” of the old red man. A real dedication, difficult to find in all the pretenders to the throne.
2% of successful applications
“Contrary to what one might think, it is quite difficult to find the right actor for this role”, comments Sylvain Cadiot, associate director of the specialized company Père Noël Chez Moi. Positioned on “top-of-the-range” services for department stores, shopping centres, town halls or certain national monuments such as the Eiffel Tower, the entrepreneur insists on the scarcity of the profiles sought. “We want people capable of reaching out to customers, interacting with children, running a stand… You need the right voice and behavior, and above all, seriousness, rigor and punctuality” , he lists. In a context of explosion in demand – in three years, the turnover of his company has doubled – Sylvain Cadiot does not hide the difficulties of recruitment in this very particular sector. Out of “a hundred” applications sent each year, only 10% are qualitative enough to hold the attention of its teams. “We then meet about 5% of the candidates, and I would say that 2% maximum are hired”.
But for the lucky ones, the company promises more attractive hiring conditions than the traditional hourly minimum wage offered by some shopping centers. “Our actors are paid between 25 and 55 euros gross per hour, depending on the duration of the performance,” explains the director, who specifies that the positions are not reserved for professional actors. After a career shared between the Air Force, National Education and the Ministry of Finance, Yves joined Père Noël Chez Moi three years ago, motivated by his eldest son. Young retiree, the sexagenarian testifies to his “wonder” for the events in which he participates as Santa Claus. “You have children who look at you with stars in their eyes, delighted parents, curious retirees… We feel that there is a real attachment to this symbol. How touching”. Inexhaustible, he tells with passion his “little tricks” to reassure sometimes frightened babies, his amusing encounters with elected officials or the police, the excuses he invents when a child asks him if he really exists or if his beard is a copycat. “It comes by itself, but I’m not saying anything. I know that some will remember my answer for a long time”.
“You have to believe a little”
“We don’t want to disappoint anyone: it has to be perfect and magical, like at Disneyland”, confirms Christophe, “Professional Santa Claus” for the Breton company My Happy Company. Founded two years ago by his wife Vanessa, the company also specializes in “luxury” services for shopping centres, businesses and individuals. Count “about 100 euros per hour” for a Santa Claus with a beard and a wig made of natural hair, a tailor-made suit and accompanied by an elf or a “Mother Christmas ”. “We once met an unpleasant Santa Claus in a shopping center, who swore like a carter, pulled his beard down because he was too hot… Our daughter did not believe it, we absolutely wanted to avoid repeating that”, justifies the couple.
This attention to detail is paying off: in two years, the number of requests to the company has increased by “30 to 40%”. “We had to hire two people to fulfill the orders, but it was more complicated than expected,” says Vanessa. Despite posters posted all over the city, and classified ads posted via interim platforms, no candidate has made himself known to My Happy Company. The entrepreneurs finally recruited a seasonal worker whose profile was recommended to them by relatives, and a working father, ready to become Santa Claus on his days off or during the weekend. Their common point? “They are both passionate, and that’s ultimately all we needed,” says Vanessa. “To transmit the magic of Christmas, you may have to believe in it a little”.
*Name has been changed.