Sometimes it’s viewed as a role: a gay professional Santa, for instance, deliberately suppresses his sexual orientation when playing Santa, complete with partnering with a Mrs. Claus for public appearances. However, a female Santa who goes by Lynx (professional Santas typically take on pseudonyms) who is also a church leader, likens the job to a divine calling: “I can connect with people and remind them they’re loved,” she said. (She also binds her breasts when in costume because “Santa doesn’t have them double-Ds.”)
Perhaps that sense of a higher calling is why even non-prototypical Santas like Lynx persevere in the fact of occasional rejection. One Black Santa recalled being denied the position at a big box store once the interviewer found out his ethnicity, telling him the store didn’t hire Black or Hispanic Santas. “That hurt my heart so much,” he said. A disabled Santa who uses a scooter during parades recalled being criticized by other professional Santas for doing so—and also stuck with it.
And while Bad Santa (2003) might be a fun holiday watch, actual “bad Santas” caught smoking, drinking, swearing, or otherwise behaving inappropriately are not popular figures within their community. “You’re never off,” one subject opined. “You lose a little bit of your identity because you can’t let your hair down and be yourself. You don’t know who’s watching you.”
“You’re Santa Claus 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year,” another Santa said. “If you act out, you risk shattering the magic.”
DOI: Academy of Management Journal, 2025. 10.5465/amj.2023.1161 (About DOIs).