{"id":697,"date":"2020-12-04T01:00:27","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T01:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/?p=697"},"modified":"2020-12-13T23:54:48","modified_gmt":"2020-12-13T23:54:48","slug":"jolly-old-saint-nixed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/noveltimes\/2020\/12\/04\/jolly-old-saint-nixed\/","title":{"rendered":"Jolly Old Saint Nixed"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Santa George McKay stands on a Christmas float during the Brampton Santa Claus Parade in Ontario, 2018. (Photo provided by George McKay)<\/em><\/p>\n

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VANCOUVER –\u00a0Santas are struggling to bring joy to the holiday season this Christmas amid escalating COVID-19 case counts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChristmas is not quite the same,\u201d says Vancouver-based Santa Dave Bushell, who has lost all his work to the pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have the happiness that went along with it in the past.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bushell, 64, has been a professional Santa for 21 years. He\u2019s trying to keep that cheerful Santa spirit alive, but says it\u2019s hard.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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His career began under the guidance of <\/span>Larry Tamkin<\/span><\/a>, who appeared at Woodward\u2019s Department Stores and Royal City Centre in New Westminster, B.C., for 42 years. Bushell\u2019s father, David Glendon Bushell, was also a Santa.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot having the income this year is really tough,\u201d Bushell says. \u201cI am struggling.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cadillac Fairview Corporation Ltd., one of Canada\u2019s largest mall operators, cancelled all live-Santa events at 17 shopping centres this year out of concerns for public safety. Because additional venues across Canada are ditching live Santa events, the pandemic means financial loss for many Mr. Clauses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Santa income typically covers his basic living expenses from late fall to mid-February each year.\u00a0<\/span>
Hire A Santa<\/span><\/a>\u2019s \u201cNorth Pole Operations Manager,\u201d Rozmin Watson, has been in the event planning business for 18 years. She contracts Santas out to live venues and Bushell is on her roster.<\/span><\/p>\n

Compensation from employers for cancelled events is rare, Watson says. And only 12 of her 120 Santas are transitioning to Zoom bookings.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Dave Bushell (left) sits with his father Santa David Glendon Bushell, brother Darrell Wayne Bushell and sister Deanna Renee Bushell at Eaton\u2019s Mall in New Westminster, B.C., 1966. (Photo provided by Dave Bushell)<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cSantas are not tech savvy,\u201d she says. They tend to be in senior age categories and \u201cdon\u2019t have the proper equipment to do virtual visits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Skipping Santa this year may seem like a trivial concern, but for some, the bearded red and white figure is a symbol of hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople don\u2019t realize that being Santa is a very big responsibility,\u201d says Bushell. \u201cSantas carry a lot on their shoulders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to keep the magic alive,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the job also includes answering tough questions from those who struggle through the holidays.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes people cry in your arms and they just want to be held,\u201d Bushell says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He adds kids sometimes make difficult requests too. \u201cChildren who have recently lost their mom or dad ask Santa to bring them back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Being a Santa is a two-way street though. They also need their fans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI crave the interaction,\u201d says Bruce Marshall, 58.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He has 25 years of Santa Claus experience but lost most of his work this season. <\/span>The Kids Market<\/span><\/a>, his main Vancouver-based client, cancelled all live Christmas events this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n

“People don\u2019t realize that being Santa is a very big responsibility[…]We try to keep the magic alive”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

– Santa Dave Bushell<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Marshall has a day job at a deli in Chilliwack, but being Santa is the highlight of his year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing Santa is the best thing ever,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I don\u2019t know what the season holds right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He hopes Zoom will facilitate the magic of being Mr. Claus, but says Christmas is \u201cgonna be kind of odd.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

George McKay, 70, is a Brampton, Ont.-based Santa with 45 years of professional experience. He notes there are high costs to looking the part, including keeping his costume updated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to look the part,\u201d he says. \u201cI am naturally bearded and my beard gets dyed\u00a0 three times a year. Stone white.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Santa George McKay poses for a group photo at McMillan Law Firm\u2019s office in Toronto during a Christmas event. (Photo provided by George McKay)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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This year, McKay is performing outdoors, taking socially distanced photos and \u2013 if patrons ask him to \u2013 wearing masks. He expects his seasonal income to be less than a quarter of what it was last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because McKay is semi-retired, he needs Santa income to cover basic living costs such as home renovations and medications. He renovated his roof using Santa money last year and he is worried more household repairs may be needed in 2021.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t predict the future and we have no idea what will happen next year,\u201d McKay says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But McKay does know this: Santa will visit \u201call the boys and girls\u201d this Christmas Eve. <\/span><\/p>\n

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