Many years ago, Will Ferrell turned-down a $29 million dollar paycheck for a sequel to his movie, "Elf". He recently revealed why: "I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which would’ve been, like, ‘Oh no, it’s not good. I just couldn’t turn down that much money. And I thought, ‘Can I actually say those words? I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.’”
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Shortages this 2021 holiday season have left reached as far as the North Pole as people scramble to hire Santas.
In a statement to Insider, hiresanta.com founder Mitch Allen said the site has seen a 121% increase in people reaching out to have Santa at an event this year compared to the past two years.
However, Allen said there are 10% fewer Santa Claus entertainers this year because some have died from COVID-19 and many aren't doing events because of the pandemic. Many have also retired from the Santa game.
(https://www.insider.com/the-us-is-facing-a-very-unlikely-shortage-santas-2021-11)
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Inflation is increasing gift costs for a “true love” this 2021 Christmas season.
The Christmas Price Index is up 5.7 percent in 2021 relative to its pre-pandemic level in 2019, the largest increase in eight years, according to an annual calculation published by PNC, a financial services firm.
The index measures the cost of all items in a full verse of the Christmas song “12 Days of Christmas.” The price — of two turtle doves, five gold rings and 10 pipers piping, for example — grew to $41,206 this year, from $38,994 in 2019.
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Holiday decorations unveiled Monday (November 29) for Joe and Jill Biden's first White House Christmas honor frontline workers who persevered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nurses, doctors, teachers, grocery store workers and others are recognized in this year's gigantic Gingerbread White House, which was made into a 350-pound gingerbread village with the addition of a school and police, fire and gas stations as well as a hospital, a post office, a grocery store and a warehouse to honor workers who stayed on the job.
(https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-white-house-christmas-decorations-covid19-frontline-workers/)
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Christmas 2021 is a little more than a month away, but anyone searching for a tree, real or artificial, to decorate for the holiday should start searching soon — and bring more cash than expected.
According to the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA), unprecedented weather events across the nation — some Oregon farmers reported losing up to 90% of their crop this summer — have cut into the live supply. Supply chain issues are also slowing delivery of some artificial trees, so fewer fake firs will be available too and those that are will cost more, the group said.
(https://news.yahoo.com/christmas-tree-shortage-leading-higher-181700866.html)
Hope that was worth your time. HO HO HO
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt
P.S. a couple pieces of fun Christmas trivia:
The highest-grossing Christmas film of all time is "The Grinch" (2018). "Home Alone" (1990) holds 2nd place.
Canada Post (post office) has assigned postal code H0H 0H0 to the North Pole.