21st Century Santa
‘WANTED: Santa for Bradhall Shopping Centre. Immediate start. Good pay offered to the right candidate.”
The advert had attracted 12 applicants. Jimmy Johnson, the centre manager, had started off the day with a detailed wish list.
But after a full day of interviews, he’d whittled the wish list down to three key qualities: a friendly manner, good with children and – most importantly – doesn’t have a laugh like a super-villain.
He mopped his brow as he waited for the final prospective Santa to arrive.
Unless you were under the age of 10, he reflected, Christmas was a highly stressful time of year. And this was especially true if you were the manager of a large and failing shopping centre.
“Bradhall’s days are numbered,” claimed the headline in the local newspaper today.
