Iowa man says Santas are in short supply this holiday season
By Pepper Purpura
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MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (KCCI) — For decades, Todd Eagleston has filled Santa’s boots during the holiday season.
“When you see the wonder in kids’ faces, that’s what it’s all about,” Eagleston said. “If I can give them a few minutes of magic and fun and hope then I’m going to do it.”
But this year, Eagleston says fewer people like him are stepping up to take on the role.
Eagleston tells KCCI he is one of three Santa impersonators around Marshalltown. He has more gigs than ever this year, and it’s become overwhelming.
“So many less and less people are doing this,” Eagleston said. “It gets to be more like work and we don’t want it to be work. We want it to be the merriment of it.”
Eagleston says the problem is people like him are getting older, but the only younger Santa he knows is his son, Alex Pascoe.
The issue seems to extend across the country.
“I have been offered myself to go to Texas, to go to Arizona, to go to Minneapolis, to go to Florida. When people find out you do this and you’re a real bearded Santa, you have opportunities to go basically anywhere you want to go,” Eagleston said.
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