The coronavirus pandemic has changed pretty well everything about our lives. One experience I took for granted is meeting the mall Santa Claus since I haven’t done that in such a long time.
But it’s a staple of many families’ Christmas traditions. However, that experience has also been altered because of COVID-19. I recently went to a local mall and found this business card for Cherry Hill Programs who coordinates the mall Santa for that location.
Cherry Hill Programs (as they should) has guidelines specifically citing their inspiration from the CDC’s. The big one is that nobody got to sit on Santa’s lap this year, but they can still talk to jolly old St. Nick while staying 6 feet apart or being separated by a plastic barrier.
They also “highly encouraged” people to reserve their time with Santa. So I guess they’re going the restaurant route, though face coverings were only required for everyone 2 & older. I guess babies can’t catch the ‘rona.
I’m curious if Santa was wearing a mask also. After all, he wouldn’t want to spread COVID to Mrs. Claus and the elves. I doubt the elves can work from home building toys since they’re considered essential.
I have memories of sitting on Santa’s lap at my local mall and who knows if that will ever be a thing again. And that’s a little depressing to hear.
But I also have memories of going to my great-grandmother’s house with all of my mom’s side of the family on Christmas Eve and Santa would appear! It was really an uncle named Murray in the costume, though I’m not exactly sure how he was related to me.
I’ve also donned the Santa Claus moniker a few times when I got older for my family, though there were no young kids in on the act. So, I got to be a little more PG-13 with my humor as Santa.
I did it once as well the first year I met my kids, though they knew it was me. What’s even funnier is that there was no beard in our costume, so I wore the hair as a beard as bootleg Santa.
When I backyard wrestled back in the day, one of my personas was named Evil Santa who wore shorts with the white furry fringe, a sadistic looking mask and carried a sack full of weapons to the lawn… I mean ring.
My kids still believe in Santa, which is nice. We also started a new tradition a couple of years back with The Elf on the Shelf and he’s been the boss of keeping the kids in check. I love putting him in the most fun spots and situations, like in the arms of the dancing Santa I inherited from my grandma.
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