Santa mall visits may vary
In COVID-19 year, holiday traditions getting tweaked
Santa won’t be quarantining at the North Pole to escape the coronavirus pandemic. But that doesn’t mean he’s ready to let thousands of kids hop on his lap
Visiting Santa is yet another holiday tradition getting tweaked during what is shaping up to be a COVID Christmas
Many Chicago-area malls still plan to hold in-person events where kids can share what’s on their wish list and pose for a photo, but only from a distance. Want more distance? Santa’s also doing virtual visits this year.
Exactly what a contactless visit with Santa looks like will vary.
At Oakbrook Center, Santa will sit in a vintage sleigh in a heated tent that’s more spacious than his usual Airstream trailer, and kids will sit on presents placed at a safe distance to chat and have their photo taken.
Santa’s lap is also off-limits at Water Tower Place, but families can sit in his sleigh and take a virtual ride, watching sights fly by on a screen, before talking to Santa and having a picture taken from a safe distance. The sleigh will be cleaned after each ride.
“Because Christmas is so important and that visit with Santa is such an important tradition for families, we wanted to make sure we were able to keep that,” said Rocell Viniard, director of portfolio marketing at Brookfield Properties, which owns more than 170 shopping centers and malls, including Water Tower Place and Oakbrook Center.
Centennial, which owns Fox Valley Mall in Aurora and Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills, adapted the 30-minute interactive tours leadingupto a visit with Santa it started holding last year to spread out visitors, said Chief Operating Officer Whitney Livingston. The tours, based on popular holiday books and movies like “Elf” and “The Polar Express,” still will offer selfie opportunities, and when it’s time for a photo with Santa, everyone will stay at least 6 feet apart, she said.
The sets are designed to make socially distanced poses look natural, Viniard and Livingston said.
Some retailers will put clear plastic between Santa and kids,
but photographers can take pictures so the barrier isn’t obvious, said Mitch Allen, owner of Hire Santa, a staffing agency that arranges Santa visits at stores, company parties and other events.
“It’s not going to be perfect. You’re not sitting on Santa’s knee this year,” he said. “We think it’s a great compromise to have the same tradition without putting the child and Santa’s health in danger.”
Under Illinois’ current regulations, both Santa and kids will need to wear masks during in-person visits.
Families trying to get an in-person visit at the mall will likely have a tougher time getting a slot without booking in advance, with some setting aside more limited time for walk-up visits to keep lines under control.
The season is also shorter. Santa usually starts visiting some malls in early November, but this year won’t arrive until Nov. 20 or 27, depending on themall.
Brookfield Properties’ malls will be promoting virtual visits through Jingle Ring, an online service.
Seeing Santa on a screen may not replace the thrill of seeing him in person, but Jingle Ring founder Walt Geer thinks virtual visits can feel more personal
since parents can choose the language Santa speaks, his ethnicity, whether they want a “faith-based” visit, one where Santa reads kids a story, or brings Mrs. Claus.
Geer is also the CEO of Picture U, which operates holiday photo programs for Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s. He and his wife, Sarah Blackman, started Jingle Ring earlier this year, when it was unclear whether face-to-face visits would happen this season.
Virtual visits also help out Santa.
Santas are in an age group at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and many initially weren’t comfortable working in person, HireSanta’s Allen said. Some changed their minds after learning more about planned safety precautions, but it has been harder to find people willing to travel for the job, he said.
As of the end of September, more than 300 had signed up to work with Jingle Ring.
Still, even experienced Santas need a little extra prep before making the switch — no surprise to anyone who has been part a Zoom meeting or happy hour that fell flat.
“We have tech support to help with the setup, but to convey the energy and magic of Christmas on a virtual call takes some additional training,” Allen said.