The wise men had the right idea when they went to see the baby: less violence has led to more tourism. An app is about to substitute the star, so that visitors can make advance reservations. Even that is cutting-edge contemporary, spilling over into the future. But none of these hopeful features is likely to save the community Santa in Germany this year, because, ironically, contemporary problems such as the dearth of skilled labour and the disinterest of young people have left recruiting agencies without any cheerful Santa Clauses for shops and community centres. The few hours’ training for community Santas includes reminders not to smoke or use the smartphone while in costume — myopic: how much fun a Santa on WhatsApp would be — and to recite Christmas poems and sing Christmas songs when asked.

Source: The Telegraph December 22, 2018 03:45 UTC