If you celebrate Christmas and have kids — or pampered pets — you may have already paid a visit to your friendly neighborhood mall Santa this year. Perhaps you even stopped a moment and thought about how tough it is to be the man beneath the whiskers. But before you pity old St. Nick, keep this in mind: depending on his employer and experience level, Santa probably makes a pretty good salary. How good? Well, as always, it depends. According to PayScale data, the median hourly wage for St. It suggests that a really good Santa can demand a much higher salary than the average Santa. Entrepreneurial Santas can make serious money: Money magazine recently profiled Randy Cook, one of the best-known Santas in Seattle :. He sold Filson on the idea of making appearances in its stores dressed up in a Filson-made buffalo plaid Santa hat, working the room and charming customers and their kids. Grooming requirements are also often quite stringent: professional Santas tell Mental Floss that they avoi...