Santa Claus is still coming to town.
The big guy will be at local malls for photo opportunities this year, but it will look a bit different.
Midtown Plaza, Centre Mall, and Market Mall will have Santa in person, while Lawson Heights Mall is offering a virtual meet Santa experience.
There are of course a few changes to be aware of.
“We will have kids sitting on benches or chairs and not on Santa’s lap,” said Leanne Tameling with The Centre Mall.
At Lawson Mall, Santa will be logging in from the North Pole.
“Lawson is basically facilitating a conversation between families and Santa, kind of think of it as similar to Zoom,” explained Shauna Morrison with Lawson Heights Mall.
Morrison says elves will ensure people are social distancing and the equipment is sanitized between visitors.
Booking needs to be done before visiting Santa to ensure people will not be crowded around.
Those coming to meet Santa could be asked a series of COVID-19 symptom questions and might be required to take a temperature check with a contactless infrared thermometer.
There will also be physical distancing guidelines in place. Everyone over the age of two will need to wear a mask, and Santa and his elves will have masks on too.