GREENSBORO, N.C. — It’s a Christmas classic, visiting Santa and telling the jolly old elf what you want under the tree. Just as classic, the kid who screams the entire time they’re on Santa’s lap. Now add in COVID and the holiday tradition could be in danger of not happening. Wait, Santa to the rescue!
First and foremost, Santa schools taught their elves the do’s and don’ts during COVID.
"Of course the world has changed since last year and we would be foolish to ignore those changes," Santa Tim says. But how will Santa stay safe? "All our reindeers are jabbed. The ones that need the booster have also had the booster. They're all very happy to do it," says student Santa Kevin.
Plus, on Christmas, Santa visits when everyone is asleep, so he can spread the magic of Christmas while keeping his distance.
Then there are the basics. How to do an authentic Santa chuckle?
"Imagine you've got a little belt here, stick your thumbs in there, push your belly out and go ho, ho, ho,” said student Santa Tim.
Now, not everyone is able to get up close or wants to get that close to Santa. Like everyone else, Santa does Zoom!
A Santa video visit service launched in 2020, called Santa’s Club. You can customize your experience. The packages go from $39 to $74. It can be a live Zoom-type or it can be a pre-taped message. As an added layer of safety, every video visit is automatically recorded—and delivered back to the viewer within a day for a keepsake.