‘Insanely’ busy season for Santa as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted
Posted November 19, 2022 1:43 pm.
Last Updated November 19, 2022 5:49 pm.
For the first time in two years, children will be able to visit Santa Claus in Metro Vancouver without any pandemic restrictions.
Santa appearances are reportedly on the uptick, much to the delight of an industry that has suffered severely during the pandemic.
The Santa Claus industry in B.C. is looking forward to a Christmas without pandemic restrictions as demand for Saint Nick appearances are on the rise. (Angela Bower, CityNews)
North Pole Operational Manager, Rozmin Watson, says pandemic-era substitutes for Santa visits never quite lived up to the real experience.
“In 2020, when COVID first hit, we had to shut it down. We had to shut the personal visits down, and ended up doing all our visitations via Zoom – but it’s never the same,” she told CityNews.
Santa appearances improved a little last year, Watson says, as rules allowed limited interaction with children.
“Last year, I was in a big box store and had to wear a mask and was behind a plexiglass barrier – it wasn’t ideal. It wasn’t easy hearing what the children wanted for Christmas, and they couldn’t give you a high five and stuff like that,” she said.
Watson describes this holiday season to be “insanely” busy and the industry is struggling to meet the demand.
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To date, she’s had to turn down over 500 requests for appearances across Canada.
Watson says there’s a need for more Santa actors, a role, she says, requires empathy.
“They have to be very understanding because kids come in not wanting presents. It’s the one day out of the year they get to see this person who they think he can solve everything for them,” the manager said.
“Sometimes, [kids] want world peace. Sometimes they want their mother to get a better job or their dad to get a better job. It can get heartbreaking. Last year, I had a boy come in and all he wanted was his family members who passed away,” she added.
This year, Watson says children will be able to enjoy a more personal experience with Santa with visitors now allowed to sit next to Saint Nick, and have up-close pictures with him.
