Just because COVID cases spike all over the country doesn’t mean Christmas is canceled. Children still need to ask Santa Claus for their gifts, even if in-person mall visits are can’t happen. Like every other American business, Santa has adapted his tactics. What does he do now? A Zoom call from the North Pole, of course.
Just as most businesses and schools have transitioned to Zoom and Google hangout in order to follow the stay-at-home orders, old St. Nick– or those who act as him– have done the same. In the face of unemployment, ‘mall Santas’ and other venue Santa actors must get creative to find income amidst this international crisis.
Don White and Mary Rogers are two of these such actors, and for them, the new system works. Despite the somewhat unorthodox setup, the demand for Santa is high. Parents need entertainment for their kids now more than ever, so this safe, wholesome way to keep their kids busy comes as a blessing. White and Rogers claim to busier than ever now.
“We’re expecting to triple or quadruple our income this season,” said White to CNN. “We went from not thinking we’d be busy at all this year to being busier than ever; we started earlier, before Thanksgiving, too. Parents are desperate to find entertainment and something for their kids to do.”
Santa Goes Live from the North Pole
In a similar Zoom video, Santa sent a message to the Associated Press from the North Pole.
“Welcome to the wonderful North Pole, where I’ve been ‘elf-isolating’ for hundreds of years!” Santa began. “We are in perfect isolation up in the North Pole. There’s nothing really to worry about for us because no one’s ever been able to find us yet. So we can’t expect a pesky virus to be able to find us.”
As far as Santa is concerned, Christmas is far from canceled. From the North Pole, the virus has no effect on his goings-ons. He will continue to make children happy around the world on December 25.
