The Hardest Working Man of the Year!

Survey awards title to “Santa!”

Based on responses from 500+ Santas surveyed by National Santa™ Tim Connaghan.  Full details and statistics from can be found at: Red Suit Survey

By National Santa™ Tim Connaghan

There is more to Santa’s job, than just sitting in the chair!

Have you noticed anyone wearing a Red Suit this week? It’s happening! 1,000’s of Santas are landing or have already landed at Malls all across America.

And yes, It’s TRUE! Santa is the hardest working man of the year!

44.3 percent are sneezed or coughed on up to 15 times each day.
Twenty-eight percent of Santas have been “wet” on by a child.
86.9 percent of the Santas are the real thing, no padding!
Over 25 % of the Santas and Mrs. Claus, prefer beaches, cruises and warm
climates for their vacations.

New York, NY (November 1, 2019) – The work of Santa, during the holiday season, is much more involved than you think. And the “Red Suit Survey,” conducted by National Santa™, Tim Connaghan, gives us proof. Details can be found at: http://www.NationalSanta.com/red-suit-surveys/

Celebrating over fifty years of wearing the “Red Suit, Connaghan has made it his job to know just about everything related to working as a Santa. From his first day as Santa in 1969 for his fellow troops in Viet Nam, to working in Malls and Stores, to appearing at major national events and shows, he understands the job, and the “do’s and don’ts” of wearing the “Red Suit.”

And as the head of the International University of Santa Claus, (School4Santas), plus serving as the National Santa for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots, and presiding over the Hollywood Christmas Parade, there is not much that has escaped his view.

From the single one-page of instructions Santas received in the 60’s to today’s ever-changing lists and instructions for Santas, he can tell you that today’s Santa has to be prepared and have lots of training.

As an author, his 246-page, “Behind the Red Suit, The Business of Santa,” is the largest selling Santa Training Book in the world. He is also author of, “Santas Tips to Surviving the Holidays.” Both available on Amazon.

Whether it is sitting in a big mall, presiding over a tree lighting ceremony, or making a private home visit to a family, Santa Tim knows the rewards of bringing cheer and happiness to children across the world, even with all the little problems that come with the job.

And, according to Connaghan, the roughest job of all is that of the Mall Santa.

Over 4,200 have graduated from his School4Santas, giving him the resources to collect the important data for this survey. His surveys tell us some things we already knew, and shed light on some areas of Santa’s life, his work, and the problems he faces during the Christmas Season.

“When was the last time someone pulled your beard or wet on your lap at work?” says Santa Tim.

No one truly knows how many Santas there are in the United States, let alone around the world. It is estimated that there is at least 8,000 in the United States.

Santa Tim sends out his surveys to his roster of Santas and Mrs. Claus who have attended his schools and his most current survey has results from 470 Santas, which prove that Santa truly is, “The Hardest working Man of the Year.” Additionally, Connaghan also surveyed many of the Mrs. Claus and responses from them are also available.

Beyond how many kids have been “naughty or nice,” the following are some of the survey highlights:

Average age of a Santa 63.5. Youngest, 29. Oldest working Santa, 94 years old.
Average weight 252.1 pounds (114.3 kilos)
At one time or another every Santa has had a crying baby. 0% percent reported however, that less than 10% of the babies visiting them, cry.
4 percent of the Santas have their beard pulled to see if it is real. Surprisingly 30.4 percent of the “pullees” were adults, mostly ladies. The remainder were skeptical children.
Over half of mall Santas’ black boots are between a size 10 to 11½, and more than 87 percent of Santas have children step on their boots 1 to 10 times a day
Where does Santa work? Less than half, 45.5% report they preside at Malls and Shopping Centers. The rest appear at private parties, special events and perform charity work.
9% say they started their careers as Santa because a school, church, their work or a friend asked them to volunteer. 21.8% said they always wanted to be a Santa. 23.8% report they had the bearded look or size to be a Santa. And 3.7 were interested in extra income in their retirement.
82% report that no matter where they work, they volunteer as Santa for Charity and Non-Profit events, and almost 25% report this volunteer work is for the Marines Toys for Tots
5% work wearing the traditional Red Suit with white fur Trim. The remainder wear a Santa Workshop outfit or appear as an Old World Santa, British Father Christmas, or Bishop St. Nicholas.
19% of the Santas surveyed say they own five or more suits, 77. 8% report they own more than two suits. Only 2.5 % reported they borrow or rent their suits. This means that 97.5% own their own suits
61% report that their suits were custom ordered or tailored
4 percent of the Santas are the real thing, no padding!
9 Appear in Parades
1 preside over Tree Lighting events.
4 per cent use a fan to keep cool while working. 53.6 percent wish they had a fan!
3% report that the preferred give-a-way is a candy cane, while 15.9% hand out stickers, 10.4% plastic coins, and 6.1% trading cards

On the personal Side Santa has told us via the survey:

His favorite cookie is Chocolate Chip(44.3%), with Oatmeal Raisin(20.2%) second
Santa’s favorite Christmas Eve Beverage is Hot Cocoa (30.7%) or Milk(24.9%)
Favorite Christmas Song – “Santa Claus is Coming to town,” (21.3%) and second is “Silent Night,” (17.7%)
And 95.8% reported their number one Greeting is “Merry Christmas”

In previous surveys*, Santas have told us,

Over 45.6 percent have up to 10 children try to take their glasses off each day. 7 percent also pose for pictures with pets, which range from puppies and kittens to boa constrictors!
While most people look forward to family vacations or watching football games after Christmas, 84.2 percent of Santas want to spend time with their families. 6 percent look forward to taking a nice, long nap
After spending her year freezing at the North Pole, Mrs. Claus wishes for time alone with her jolly old husband in a warm climate. Following Christmas, 56.1 percent of the Santas go on vacation or visit relatives; 14.3 report they are going on a cruise; and would you believe that 18.7% immediately start planning for next year!
By the way, over 25 % of the Santas and Mrs. Claus prefer beaches, cruises and warm climates for their vacations.
Following the 2006 Santa Convention one Mrs. Claus reported in Time Magazine, that “Santa is a Chick Magnet.” We asked the Santas that question: 5% said NO, 32.4% said yes or sometimes. And 26 .6% said, “It’s a difficult job, but someone has to do it!”
Over 25 % of the Santas and Mrs. Claus prefer beaches, cruises and warm climates for their vacations.
To prepare for the holiday work load, 63.2 % report they enjoy stretching and walking. 3 % belong to a health or fitness club and 9.6 percent say they work out by taking care of their grandchildren!
4 percent of Santas see camera “flash” spots more than 25 times a day (Some Santas have seen so many flashes, they no longer blink!)
38 percent of Santas give between 10% and 25% of their time to charity; 6.1 percent between 25% and 50%; 5% give more than 50%, and 5.5 percent spend all of their time as Santa working for non-profit organizations and charities.
Nearly 30 percent of mall Santas have more than 100 children sit on their lap every day.
Only 17.5 percent of the Santas have a second language. These include, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Italian. 11% speak Spanish and 2% use American Sign Language.
6% of Santas are married. 27.5% report their wives work with them as Mrs. Claus; 7% say she is Santa’s agent; 35.1% state she is always there when I need her: and 22.5% report that their wives quietly watch and let Santa do his own thing!
3 percent of the Santas questioned report they have their own web site or a personalized web page.
If Santa could “pimp his sleigh,” 61.7 percent would add a GPS

The following are additional mall Santa facts:

60 percent of real bearded Santas groom their beard up to four times each day
Santa is a very well-hydrated man with 45 percent drinking 5 to 10 glasses of water each day
Fresh breath is of top priority for 20 percent of Santas who eat four to six mints each day
52 percent of Santas believe girls are shyer than boys
When children come to visit Santa at the mall, over 75 percent believe they have been good all year long while only half of Santas believe they are telling the truth.

In light of the many concerns and situations, Santa Tim created a special list of important items that every Santa needs to help them get through the crying, sneezing, toe-stomping, lap-wetting and beard-pulling they endure each holiday season. You probably won’t see these on the Santa Set, but be assured that Santa has the following close at hand:

Breath mints
Hand “Santa”-tizer
Beard grooming kit with mirror
Mustache Wax or styling glue
Cologne
Battery powered pocket fan
Boot polish kit
Cherry flavored lip balm
Bottled Water
Pocket Facial tissues
Small waterproof, lap pad for wet babies.
Medicated throat drops to keep the ho-ho-ho’s strong
Shout wipes for spot removal
Extra white gloves
A small 10″ fan located near-by, but out of sight, blowing a cool breeze

In addition to the above, Santa Tim says that some Santas have also put a few special,
protective items on the list. There have been reports, over the years, of panicked babies
kicking a Santa so hard that other equipment is needed. Would you believe: steel toed
boots, and protective athletic guards for the shins and other sensitive parts of the body!

There have been reports, over the years, of panicked babies kicking a Santa so hard . . . .

Here are a few more statistics from Santa Tim’s surveys:

To prepare for the holiday work load:63.2 % report they enjoy stretching and walking. 12.3 % belong to a health or fitness club and 9.6 percent say they work out by taking care of their grandchildren!
Nearly half of mall Santas’ black boots are between a size 10 to 11½, and more than 55 percent of Santas have children step on their boots 1 to 10 times a day.
Every Santa reports they have at one time or another had a crying baby.
80.9 percent say that less than 10% of the babies visiting them
cry.
More than 44 percent are sneezed or coughed on up to 15 times each day
86.9 percent of the Santas are the real thing, no padding!
93 percent of the Santas have their beard pulled to see if it is real.
They reported that of the “pullees,” 50.6 percent were kids.
The remaining 42.6 percent were adults.
61.4 percent of Santas see camera “flash” spots more than 25 times a day(Some Santas have seen so many flashes, they no longer blink!)
38 percent of Santas give between ten and 25% of their time to charity; 6.1 percent between 25% and 50%; 17.5% give more that 50%, and 5.5 percent spend all of their time as Santa working for non-profit organizations and charities.
17.8 per cent use a fan to keep cool while working. 82.2 percent wish they had a fan!
Over 45.6 percent have up to 10 children try to take their glasses off each day. 54.7 percent also pose for pictures with pets, which range from puppies and kittens to boa constrictors!
Nearly 30 percent of mall Santas have more than 100 children sit on their lap every day.
Only 17.5% of the Santas have a second language. These include, Spanish, French German, Japanese, Russian and Italian. 11% speak Spanish and 2% use American Sign Language.
90.6% of Santas are married. 27.5% report their wives work with them as Mrs. Claus; 7% say she is Santa’s agent; 35.1% state she is always there when I need her: and 22.5% report that their wives quietly watch and let Santa do his own thing!
While most people look forward to family vacations or watching football games after Christmas, 84.2 percent of Santas want to spend time with their families. 9.6 percent look forward to taking a nice, long nap.
40.3 percent of the Santas questioned report they have their own web site or a personalized web page.
If Santa could “pimp his sleigh,” 61.7 percent would add a GPS

Following the first Discover Santa Convention one Mrs. Claus reported in Time Magazine, that “Santa is a Chick Magnet.” We asked the Santas that same question: 39.5% said NO, 32.4% said yes or sometimes. And 26 .6% said, “It’s a difficult job, but someone has to do it!”

After spending her year freezing at the North Pole, Mrs. Claus wishes for time alone with her jolly old husband in a warm climate. Following Christmas, 56.1 percent of the Santas go on vacation or visit relatives; 14.3 report they are going on a cruise; and would you believe that 18.7% immediately start planning for next year!

By the way, over 25 % of the Santas and Mrs. Claus, prefer beaches, cruises and warm climates for their vacations.

The following are additional mall Santa facts:

Sixty percent of real bearded Santas groom their beard up to four times
each day
The average Santa has 2.54 suits and 19.8 percent of the Santas own four
to six red suits or more, to stay looking sharp for the holidays.
Santa is a very well-hydrated man with 45 percent drinking 5 to 10 glasses of water each day.
Fresh breath is of top priority for 20 percent of Santas who eat four to six mints each day.
Fifty-two percent of Santas believe girls are more shy than boys.
When children come to visit Santa at the mall, over 75 percent believe they have been good all year long while only half of Santas believe they are telling the truth.

A Santa for over 50 years, National Santa™ Tim Connaghan heads The Kringle Group and is the author of "Santa's tips to Surviving the Holidays," and “Behind the Red Suit – the Business of Santa Claus,” The most wideley used Santa instruction book in the world.  He directs, School4Santas, the International University of Santa Claus, where he has graduated over 4,200 Santas and Mrs. Claus.  He is the National Santa for the Marine Corps, Toys for Tots Foundation and for 17 years has been the Official Santa for the Hollywood Christmas Parade.  Additionally, he operates RealSantas.com, supplying Santas for Corporation, Associations and even Private family events.  He has appeared in commercials for Oreo, Target, Sears, to name a few and appeared on the Tonight Show, Today Show, the Mentalist, Castle and in motion pictures.  In 2012, he was inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame.  He can be reached at: Santa@NationalSanta.com .

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