The coronavirus pandemic has already made Easter parties and summer festivals postponed and canceled. Will Christmas outings and parties suffer the same sad, yet fitting fate? Worse, will Santa visits be the same?
To some areas, the usual and traditional in-person visits of Santa were canceled and postponed already because of the coronavirus pandemic. In some areas, they chose to carry on with the said visits although with some changes that differ from how Santa visits used to be.
The Santa visits
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Santa visits will be postponed this year at New York's iconic Macy's Santaland, nor will Santa visits take place at the Chicago or San Francisco stores either.
Although holiday traditions such as this have been canceled because of the pandemic, there are still many places that offer in-person Santa visits. And just like how most things are this year, Santa visits will not be like how it used to.
The alternatives
At Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's, Santa's Wonderland "Contactless Claus" program uses a clear shield between Santa and the kids. It also features Santa and the elves in masks, while keeping temperature checks and social distance. A "Santa-tary Squad" is present, and is in charge of keeping the area clean and sanitized between each Santa visits.
This program will run from November 7 until December 24 in all locations. If you want your kids to still experience Santa visits despite the coronavirus pandemic, best to reserve a slot since this is needed.
Santa visits in this new program comes with a free photo, as well as a free digital download.
On the other hand, in-person visits are still going on at Brookfield's more than 130 mall locations, although with some changes. Brookfield has redesigned their set to make Santa visits and photos possible in this time of the coronavirus pandemic.
The set designs vary from mall to mall where one visitor may see Santa in a snow globe, while another visitor from another mall may have him inside a photo frame for social distancing measures. Despite keeping in-person visits, Brookfield made sure that all their sets are equipped with health and safety features, such as keeping social distance, having hand-sanitizing stations, and having intense cleanings. Families can also reserve for these Santa visits just like the one in Santa's Wonderland.
Virtual visits
As it turns out, as everyone is at home during this time, Santa Claus is too!
Brookfield also has plans for those who wish to stay at home and prefer virtual Santa visits. Brookfield malls can have live virtual visits since they partnered with Jingle Ring for this project. This virtual visit can be joined from many devices, letting grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and other loved ones to be together for the experience. They can reserve their slots at www.JingleRing.com.
Aside from Brookfield, there are also virtual visits that can be done by hiring self-employed Santas. While one Santa in Baltimore was making free visits to kids in quarantine, he is now at hand for the price of $12.25.
