We are having to put up with shortages in supplies in    groceries, house hold products and many other things these days but there’s another shortage that comes at a particularly bad time as we approach the holiday season. That’s a shortage of men who are interested in and have the skills and appearance needed to act as stand-ins for Santa Claus. That’s right! There’s a Santa shortage. Many Santa  stand-ins lost gigs last year because of the pandemic.  Demand is up a reported 120 percent this year, but there’s not enough Santa’s to go around. The founder of a website called Hire Santa.com tells U.S.A. today that about 700 Santa Claus  stand-ins around the country  have passed away over the past year, about half of them because of Covid19 adding to the shortage. Best advice is if you’re hoping to have Santa spend time with your family during an event this Christmas season, you’d better book him early. That’s the way I see it.