TORONTO -- Few malls will offer in-person visits with Santa Claus this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and instead, children can expect to recite their wish lists to Father Christmas virtually.
While children may not be sitting on Santa's lap, mall operators insist that the meeting will still be just as magical as before.
Craig Flannagan, the vice-president of marketing at Cadillac Fairview told CTVNews.ca that mall visits with Saint Nicholas are an important holiday tradition for many Canadians.
"What we wanted to do is to get a bit of joy of the season back, but we still need to be safe," he said in a telephone interview on Monday. "We know for many families that meeting with Santa is a really important tradition, and we want to give families safe in-person and digital options for how they'll see Santa this year."
Flannagan explained that most Cadillac Fairview-operated malls in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta and B.C. will be offering physically distanced photos with Santa in-person. For those who are not comfortable with an in-person meeting, there will also be private video chats with Santa from the North Pole as well as other special virtual events.
"We're also doing something called 'Story Time,' where we'll have Instagram and Facebook Live story reading with Santa a couple of times throughout the holiday season," Flanagan said. He added that families will also be able to interact with Santa during these readings through comments on the live stream.
Flannagan said the experiences are complimentary, but photo packages will be available for purchase.
As one of the few mall operators hosting in-person visits with Kris Kringle this year, Flanagan says safety is Cadillac Fairview's "top priority."
He said guests will have to book their photo appointments ahead of time online and are required to wear face masks inside the malls and during the photo. They will also be screened upon arrival through a questionnaire. Santa’s helpers will be on-site to ensure everyone is following physical distancing markers. The photo site will be sanitized between each visit including disinfecting all surfaces.
"[Santa] wants to know if you've been good or bad, he wants to know what you want for Christmas, and that important tradition can continue -- it just has to be a little bit different, like a lot of things this year," Flannagan said.
However, for some malls, it is still too early to know for certain how visits with Santa Claus will proceed this year.
B.C. Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby is currently still working on a safe holiday program for guests, but says more details will be made available in the coming weeks.
"At the moment, we are planning for an outdoor visit with Santa program this year and a family holiday portrait studio," marketing director Judy Black said in an email on Wednesday.
Due to the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic, Black said the mall is still working with the Fraser Health Authority and WorkSafe BC to ensure public health measures are maintain during the program.
NEW VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES
At malls operated by Groupe Mach, including Carrefour de l’Estrie in Sherbrooke, Que., Santa will appear via webcam from the North Pole to ask children what they want for Christmas.
Marketing and communications director of Groupe Mach Daniel Durand says having a virtual visit with Santa will ensure everyone, including the big man himself, stay safe amid the pandemic.
"This year, Santa needs to stay in the North Pole so we are working on technology to connect him with our malls. Kids will come to our malls and take a seat on the Santa throne in his kingdom, and through an iPad, they will get a live video chat with the real Santa," Durand said in a phone interview on Thursday.
Durand explained the virtual sessions will need to be booked ahead of time to ensure there is no crowding and the area will be sanitized between each visit. A recording of the virtual interaction will also be available for families to purchase as a souvenir.
While some children who meet with Santa can be quite young, Durand is confident that the virtual experience will be just as engaging as an in-person meeting.
"Kids are very tech savvy, they know how technology works. They do FaceTime with their families starting as young as one or two-years-old so we think that it could be a good experience between Santa and the kids," he said.
"And it's Santa Claus, he know how to interact with kids regardless of the means."
Toronto's Yorkdale Mall will also only be hosting online meet-and-greets this year with a new platform called Santa's Magic Mirror.
Yorkdale's Marketing Manager Mina Barbuto explained to CTVNews.ca that Santa has arranged to have virtual visits at the mall from Nov. 23 to Dec. 24 through a mirrored video screen.
"What that means is that children and adults will be able to visit Santa's Magic Mirror, everything is touchless, they will have their cell phones to scan a QR code, which then Santa will magically appear on to the mirror with a little personalized message," Barbuto said in a phone interview on Thursday.
She added that the mirror will also take a photo of the visit which will be sent via email or text message. The service is free, however, guests will have the option to donate to a local charity. Barbuto says appointments for the virtual meetings will be made available in the coming weeks.
Barbuto said there will also be weekly pet nights for Santa’s Magic Mirror in which guests will be able to bring in their pets to ask Mr. Claus for holiday treats.
While the experience is touchless, Barbuto says the mirror will be cleaned between visits. Staff and guests are also required to wear face coverings and must maintain physical distancing throughout the experience.
Despite Santa not actually being physical at the mall, Barbuto said the experience will still be special.
"The space is still very festive, it will be fully decorated with beautiful trees, it'll be very whimsical, and our elves will definitely ensure that that experience is so magical for the children," Barbuto said.
"Santa still will be here, it'll just be a little different than we've done in the past."
