Forget about leaving a tray of milk and cookies, kids. Santa might be better off this year with a cup of green tea and some fruit.

Santa Claus look-alikes have taken to their thrones in malls across the land, each hearing the Christmas wishes of hundreds, maybe thousands, of wide-eyed and runny-nosed youngsters.

Unless the surrogate Santas fit into one of the official high-risk groups, they're not getting flu shots, thanks to a shortage of vaccine this year that has forced health officials to inoculate only those who are most at risk of flu-related complications.

It's unlikely that Santa is spreading a virus along with his good cheer -- children are much more likely to catch the flu from places such as school, said Allegheny County Health Department spokesman David Zazac.

"There are no flu-ridden Santas that we've heard of," Zazac said.

There's more chance of Santa getting sick, however, given all the children who hop up on his lap sneezing, coughing and wiping their noses on their sleeves.

"I stood in line two hours to get (a flu shot)," said the Santa at Century III Mall, in West Mifflin, who also goes by the name of Bob Bailey. At 67, he meets the age requirement to be considered high-risk.

Bailey, who lives in Lake Wales, Fla., bears such a resemblance to Santa that children hurl toy requests at him if he goes out in a red T-shirt, even if it's the middle of summer. He's on duty seven days a week for up to 10 hours a day during the Christmas season. During his six years in a Santa suit, Bailey said he's had to deal with more difficult things than fear of the flu.

Last year, for instance, he was in a mall near a military base in Charleston, S.C. "A lot of children told me all they want is their mother or father back from Iraq. That was tough."

Besides, he said, it's not like the kids are sneezing on him. "Coughing. But not sneezing," Bailey said.

Timothy Connaghan, who lives near Los Angeles and is a member of the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, said the flu shot shortage came up during some of the workshops he attended.

Connaghan, 56, didn't qualify for a flu shot this year, but that didn't keep him away from the children. In his 36 years as Santa, he's never fallen ill during the Christmas season, he said.

"It's such an exciting time of year," said Connaghan. "Your energy's up, and your health stays up. I've gotten sick right after the season's over. ... I guess your immune system is running on high the whole time during the season."

"From our standpoint, we believe that going to see Santa just to say what you want isn't going to get you sick," Zazac said. "What we're saying, to not just Santas but other folks as well, is if you're sick, stay home."

Dietitians in the county Health Department suggest Santa should exercise more and eat fruits and vegetables -- rather than cookies -- to make sure his immune system remains robust.

"He has a huge waistline and a sedentary lifestyle. He does one night of heavy lifting a year," Zazac said. "So there is no room in Santa's diet for trans-fatty acids."