DETROIT (WWJ) -- As the holiday season quickly approaches, it turns out Santa Claus may not be coming to every town.
While reported shortages of workers at restaurants, retail businesses and other industries across the country have been well documented as the state and country recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, apparently the worker shortage may have hit the North Pole, too.
Booking a visit from Santa Claus for a holiday party or family gathering may be a little tougher this year than it used to be, as many Santas' schedules are filling up fast.
The Wall Street Journal reports many cities across the country are experiencing a "Santa shortage," as some are asking for higher wages and others still have COVID-19 concerns.
At least one of Santa Claus’s Michigan helpers, Orrin Van Loon of Oak Park, says he’s completely booked for every weekend this holiday season.
VanLoon tells WWJ’s Jon Hewett he’s booked for somewhere between 45-50 different functions this season.
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VanLoon has played Santa Claus across metro Detroit for the better part of two decades, including multiple Christmas tree-lighting ceremonies at Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit.
“The most fun is family parties, with the kids and the whole group,” VanLoon said. “We’ve developed some wonderful relationships because of it.”
Most visits with Santa Claus across southeast Michigan were put on-hold in 2020 due to the pandemic, but VanLoon thinks the business is “coming back around.”
While it may be tough to book Santa for a private event in metro Detroit this year, there are still plenty of opportunities for kids to see Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick across the area.
From a number of stores, to Holiday Nights Greenfield Village, there are still chances to see "the big man." A schedule of Santa visits can be found at Little Guide Detroit or oaklandcountymoms.com.
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As for VanLoon, he says he’s excited to get back to the action in 2021 after just a handful of appearances last winter, due to the pandemic.
“I’m fully vaccinated and I’ve got my booster,” he told WWJ. “We want people to know that and if anything happens at one of our events, it wasn’t from us.”