There will be fewer Santas coming to town this year, as demand dwindles for high street Santa’s grottoes.

Ministry of Fun, a company that recruits and trains Santas, has reported a 20% decline in bookings every year, while this year most of the major Oxford Street retailers in London have chosen not to feature a grotto.

Perhaps not helped by tainted images of Santa in the media – such as the one portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton (pictured below) in the film Bad Santa – Father Christmas is apparently not quite the pull he once was. Parents are said to fear their children could be abused by a shop Santa, kids are often disappointed with the gifts they receive, while retailers are not prepared to allocate store space to a grotto.

Often it is TV celebrities or pop stars who are instead used to promote merchandise in-store.