Get Your Hand Santa-tizer Ready for the Big Guy

Will he be wearing a mask? Will he be using hand sanitizer as he goes from house to house? Will he have to quarantine himself before he starts his journey? Will he have to get a special exemption to be able to fly?

I’m sure parents are getting a whole new set of questions about Santa Claus this year.

A story in the Wall Street Journal shares how Santa, his elves and reindeer, families, and governments are getting ready for the big holiday.

One six-year-old was worried that if Rudolph got Covid-19, it would spread to the other reindeer, and Santa Claus wouldn’t be able to travel from the North Pole to deliver Christmas gifts around the world. Her eight-year old sister reassured her that Mrs. Claus made some Christmas-themed masks that were magic and would protect the reindeer and Mr. Claus from the virus. For extra cover, the family will leave hand sanitizer next to the cookies and milk for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph.

A 5-year-old boy asked Italy’s prime minister, Guiseppe Conte, to provide the paperwork justifying Santa’s travel, as required for people in the country’s lockdown zones. Mr. Conte responded that Santa will indeed have the necessary documentation. He added he had assured Santa that Tommaso had been a good boy, as had all of the children, in “a very difficult year.”

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared Santa an essential worker, still able to go out for deliveries when much of the rest of the country is under enhanced restrictions.

Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, explained to USA Today that Santa has an “innate immunity” to the virus.

John Torres, a medical correspondent for the “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt,” earlier this month offered young viewers a rundown of safety protocols in place at the North Pole: Santa and his helpers are staying in pods, getting tested regularly and will quarantine starting Dec. 10, to be ready for their trip 14 days later. The big man himself will mask up and sanitize before heading down the chimney, then quickly depart from each home, Dr. Torres said.

All great examples of how people are adapting to these strange times while trying to keep the magic of Christmas alive.

P.S. I love the phrase hand Santa-tizer,  but I can’t take credit for it. Someone mentioned it in a comment to the Wall Street Journal article…

*image from redbubble