4 Alternatives To Visiting Santa At The Mall This Year
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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is forcing people to rework all of their holiday traditions. For kids, things are looking especially bleak. Usually, they'd get to go to the mall to see Santa and snap a picture with him, but experts tell Woman's Day that might not be very safe. Some malls are putting plexiglass between Santa and kids, but even that might not be enough. So, how can you visit Santa safely during a pandemic? Luckily, there are a few inventive alternatives.
Going to the mall is considered "moderately risky" at this time, Dr. Abisola Olulade, a family physician, tells Woman's Day. "COVID case counts are rising in all 50 states and continue to break all the wrong records," she says. "This means that it’s spreading readily within communities."
Some malls are more risky than others, especially those that are indoor and poorly ventilated, Dr. Olulade says. Crowded malls where people aren't strictly adhering to distancing and mask-wearing measures — which Dr. Olulade notes will be harder to enforce during a busy shopping season like Thanksgiving and Christmas — could also be higher-risk environments.
"If you are someone who is 65 and older or if you are at severe risk of getting sick from COVID, then this is even more risky and it’s recommended that you avoid crowded places like the mall," Dr. Olulade explains. "Remember that people can transmit COVID even without having symptoms so you may never know when or how you got exposed."
Some malls plan to put up plexiglass barriers (some in the shape of snow globes) between Santa and children. Families will be able to sit in a nearby sleigh or stand in front of the plexiglass and take a photo with Santa, according to Bloomberg.
Though plexiglass barriers are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Olulade says their effectiveness has not been extensively studied. "They may protect against large droplets but would not help with airborne transmission of smaller droplets which we know does occur with COVID," she explains. "I also see that these barriers at times aren’t even as tall as the customers and workers that they are trying to protect and so their effectiveness is still very much a question at this point. They should not lull anyone into a false sense of security."
At this point, Dr. Olulade says it's impossible to say that any activity is completely safe — there are just higher and lower levels of risk. "Low risk would be outdoors, distanced at least 6 feet, with everyone wearing and keeping their masks on," she says, noting that parents should ask themselves whether their kids will keep their face masks on the whole time and distance properly from others. "I think it’s also important to put into context that this is a non-essential activity. There will hopefully be many more years with many more pictures with Santa and I think we have to ask ourselves if it's worth the risk at this point."
If seeing Santa is still an absolute must for your kids this year, there are a few safer alternatives:
Plan a virtual Santa visit
Go old school, and have someone in your family dress up like Santa. Or, if you don't want to risk your kids figuring out that Santa is just their older brother, video chat with a relative in another household who can dress up.
Photo printing company Chatbooks is also offering free 10-minute virtual Santa visits on Nov. 27 and 28. Reservations opened here on Nov. 19. In addition to chatting with Santa for 10 minutes, Chatbooks will take your photo and provide a code for you to print it out online, free of charge.
Santa's Club and Reserve a JingleRing are also offering packages you can purchase that include a personalized video messages from Santa or a live video conversation.
Some mall operators are also offering Zoom calls with Santa in the areas that they serve.
Have a holiday costume party
Get the whole family to dress up as Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves, and reindeer. Here is some costume inspiration.
Get a package or letter from Santa
PackageFromSanta.com provides personalized Christmas packages send directly to kids from the North Pole. Depending on what you purchase, you child could receive a "Nice List Certificate," a letter and selfie from Rudolph himself, Santa's Hot Cocoa, a sugar cookie from Mrs. Claus, and so much more.
There are also a few ways to send your kid a personalized letter from Santa. You could use a company like Sealed By Santa, which allows you to choose from a few different package options, or you could use the U.S. Postal Service, which will send back letters postmarked from the North Pole for the cost of a First-Class Mail stamp.
Drive through a Christmas light display near you
Search online for Christmas light displays near where you live. Many towns have routes that will allow you to drive by some of the best holiday displays.
"Holidays actually tend to be a very stressful time with planning trips and meeting up with friends and family and figuring out who is getting what present, etc.," Dr. Olulade says. "I think this is a rare opportunity to kick back, stay home, relax and take care of yourself and those in your household and to just enjoy each other."
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