One business serving Tallinn and its surrounding areas offers in-home visits for €120, with prices rising to €135 for a visit of up to half an hour on Christmas Eve itself. This particular business still has time slots available for December 24.

Another Tallinn-based business charges €150 for a Santa visit, but is currently offering a discounted rate of €135. Visits to children's holiday parties average €250, while corporate parties are priced at €300.

Outside the major cities, however, prices are significantly lower.

One business serving Jõgeva and northern Järva County charges €60 plus VAT for a house call. One of their two Santas is already booked up for Christmas Eve, but the other still has evening slots available.

Freelance Santas, meanwhile, can be hired for as little as €50.

Many of the country's Santa Clauses are members of the nonprofit Estonian Association of Santas. Association members have agreed to perform in public exclusively under their Santa names.

Speaking to ERR, association board member Eedy noted that not much changes from year to year, and that despite challenging economic times, there hasn't been a noticeable decrease in demand for at-home visits from Santa this year either.

"On December 24, you have to start fairly early – before noon – and it continues late into the night," he said. Based on conversations with colleagues, this seems to be the case for all Santas.

Visits from Santa are most in demand on December 23, 24 and 25, he added.

Santa Eedy confirmed that prices vary significantly by region. The service is most expensive in Harju County, Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu, but these are also higher earning areas of the country.

He emphasized, however, that playing Santa is no easy task, despite some trying to make a quick buck with a store-bought costume. This veteran Santa has been in the business since the mid-1980s already.

"No one in rural areas is charging several hundred euros like in high-demand parts of Tallinn, fees are lower in the countryside," Eedy confirmed. "Santas will also appraise the situation for themselves. If they see that a family has made an effort and prepared ahead of time, they may not charge as much as at a few houses down. There's a bit of a Robin Hood element here – balancing our budgets, in a way."

While some families have to be mindful of their budget, Eedy said that others are willing to shell out hundreds of euros for a visit from a specific Santa they've seen somewhere before.

Either way, he's seeing no indication that people are passing up on Santa, even in tough economic times. Even families who can't afford a personal in-home visit from Santa often find other solutions.

For example, Eedy has frequently made appearances at shopping center events, where families can take photos with the mall Santa. Some parents will even discreetly slip him a gift and ask him to give it to their child – and he is happy to oblige.

Santas most frequently pay visits to schools and kindergartens, where they get the chance to watch and enjoy the kids' perform – with poem recitations, songs or dances, as is tradition in Estonia. Santa Eedy said these are always delightful.

"The Estonians are a nation of singers and poets," he remarked.

The entire month of December is a busy time for Santas, often leaving little time for themselves.

"But that's the nature of the job," Eedy admitted, "And giving it up would be difficult."

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