Why there aren't enough Santas to go around in some parts of Canada 

Thanks to vaccinations against COVID-19 and the easing of some public health restrictions, Canadians are going to be seeing a lot more of Santa in 2021 than they did last year.

But there's a catch.  

Your chances of landing a pre-Christmas visit with Santa at the mall or having him drop in at a work party or event may depend on where you live.     

In some parts of the country, there aren't enough Santas to go around for live visits, in part because some jolly old elves don't feel safe visiting in person yet. In other areas, Santas are sitting idle with few jobs because of high COVID-19 case counts  

Last year, Santa received national clearance as an essential worker to take flight on Dec. 24, but at ground level the pandemic is still a problem for his working representatives and the companies who place them. 

"It's going crazy," said Jeff Gilroy, Manager of Just be Claus, a talent agency for Christmas characters based in Orillia, Ont. "I've turned away probably about 200 events."  

Mall visits with Santa are back on in Ontario, B.C. and other provinces after widespread cancellations last year.   

Both Cadillac Fairview and Oxford Properties have brought Santas back to shopping centres with COVID-19 safety precautions in place and pre-booked appointments instead of lineups.   

Mina Caringi, the property manager of Oxford's Scarborough Town Centre in the east end of Toronto says customers started asking about a Santa return in October.

"They haven't had their Santa photos in quite some time, so they've really been looking forward to welcoming him back." 

With pre-booked slots, there's a limited supply of visits, so unless parents plan ahead there will be kids who only see Santa from a distance. 

Gillroy's company is supplying Santa's to three Oxford Malls, and has about 25 Santas on his roster. 

His St. Nicks are fully booked but he's getting up to 30 calls a day for them, so he's pitching customers on other Christmas characters, including the Grinch. 

"Maybe you do the Grinch and have a bit of a naughty Christmas," said Gilroy, who claims his expensive Grinch costume competes with the best Santas for attention.