By Chris Isaac

Even a pandemic isn’t going to stop Santa Claus from seeing children who want to share what they desire for Christmas.

Despite this year’s highly unusual and difficult circumstances, many malls are still finding ways to make sure kids get a chance to speak with Santa.

Some are prepared to do virtual sessions with Santa, while others like Willow Grove Mall and the King of Prussia Mall are continuing with allowing people to see Santa in person, albeit with precautions.

As reported by Abha Bhattarai of The Washington Post, some of the logical changes that will occur this year include no sitting on Santa’s lap, and having a plexiglass shield between children and Santa for photo opportunities.

70-year-old Mark Brenneman has been playing Santa for almost fifty years, and commented on the changes, saying, “Santa can’t give out hugs or candy canes this year, but people still want to see him. They want hope. They want normal.”

Not all malls feel it’s wise to go through with having Santa this year, and some have decided to forgo the tradition to be safe. It’s not just children who have to be looked out for, but also Santa himself.

Many of the Santas at malls are older and have interactions with countless families per day. Nobody wants a happy tradition to result in medical difficulties.

That concern has led to malls that do intend to move ahead with bringing the North Pole around to also advise everyone to schedule their visits in advance.

The process will take longer than usual this year thanks to temperature checks, ensuring everyone has their mask on before approaching Santa, and sanitation between each visit.

Companies that book Santa are saying that appointments for him to show up are down by around 40% this year. It’s certainly a setback, but there’s still plenty of places where Santa isn’t letting circumstances keep him away. For a man who can visit every house in the world in one night, this year’s challenges won’t be anything that can keep him from spreading joy to children.

To learn more about the precautions malls are taking with their holiday displays, read The Washington Post article by clicking here.