The Santa who sounded the alarm
Brittany Shammas, The Washington Post
Dec. 19, 2020
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Art Hoffman broke out the Santa suit early this year.
It was April, his Louisville neighborhood quiet in the shock of the first coronavirus lockdowns. He strolled from house to house holding up a sign: Hello and Love from Santa. He waved at the delighted kids - always from a distance Santa Claus doesn t usually keep.
The pandemic was warping everyone s sense of time, but that wasn t the only reason for Hoffman s out-of-season appearance. Even then, he was growing convinced that a typical Christmas would be unlikely in 2020. He had been performing as Santa for 45 years, but he had also spent years working in public health. And he feared the worst was yet to come.
Santa Claus Art Hoffman has been warning about covid Christmas washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Deciding on which one fits your needs will depend on your budget as well as the type of personal experience you want for your kids.
To be sure, a visit to a mall Santa isn’t free, with parents typically shelling out $20 to $60 for a photo package that commemorates their child’s moment on Santa’s lap.
And there are upsides to a video session with Santa, like the ability to personalize the experience by telling him your child s name and what they want for Christmas before the visit.
Some services also provide recordings, which parents can share with other family members.
Want to Zoom with Santa Claus during the COVID-19 pandemic? Get ready to open your wallet Aimee Picchi, Special to USA TODAY
Santa greets children from inside snow globe to practice social distancing
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Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story misspelled the first name of the creator of Live Calls with Santa, and the first name of the Santa actor who works for Cameo.
Taking the kids to the mall to sit on Santa’s lap isn’t as appealing – or feasible – during the coronavirus pandemic. Macy’s canceled its in-person Santaland this year, while malls are scaling back or putting safety measures in place, like plexiglass shields, between children and Santa.