Because of COVID-19, Christmas is very different this year — especially for Santa Claus.
Normally, “Santa” Lenny and Becki “Mrs. Claus” Stratton, of Shelburne Falls, Santa’s local emissaries, make seasonal appearances at Yankee and Kringle candle companies, to Moonlight Magic, to Shriners Club festivities and to the Festival of the Trees in Springfield. But this year, Santa has taken to Zoom for remote, online visits with children.
Gone for now are the lines of children queuing up to see Santa. There is no sitting on Santa’s knee for photos, or whispering what they want for Christmas. The Strattons say they might see up to 1,000 kids during a busy Christmas season. But this year, St. Nick’s appearances at preschool programs, tree farms, credit unions, grocery stores and banks are nil.
“We had a lot of things going on this year before COVID,” says Becki Stratton.
Last year, the Strattons were interviewed and filmed as part of a documentary called “Santa School,” which is now showing on Amazon Prime. Also, as Mr. and Mrs. Claus, they appear in a “Santa Parade” in a scene for a new Walt Disney movie called “Godmothered.”
The Strattons also belong to the New England Santa Society, which is featured in this month’s Yankee Magazine, although the annual meeting of Santas was held in January just before the COVID pandemic started. The Strattons are among the Santa helpers who appear in the article.
The Strattons participated in a virtual Christmas party with the Shriners Hadji group on Dec. 17, and also appeared in Greenfield’s “Light Up the Fairgrounds” earlier this month, in which people could drive by and wave out the car windows to the festive couple.
With at least seven years of Santa visits behind them, the Strattons are the only Santa and Mrs. Claus that many local children have ever known. Each year, they’ve taken photos with these children. But this year’s photos may show children posing with the image of Santa on a computer screen.
“We have people texting us and calling us for virtual visits,” says Mrs. Stratton, who also teaches at the Santa School. “But we’re not seeing children the way we usually see children.”
On a recent home visit, the Strattons met an eager 4-year-old who wanted to leave Santa with a hug. Their visit was outdoors, wearing masks, and they let the boy sit on Santa’s red truck while posing for pictures. As the boy reached out to embrace Santa, his mom whisked him away before he could. “We can’t give Santa hugs today,” she told the crying boy all the way back to the house.
“Santa can’t have any hugs,” Lenny Stratton sighed.
Another child was reluctant to see Santa because he was afraid St. Nick would get COVID-19 by going from house to house. But after his virtual visit, Mrs. Claus told the boy: “It’s my job to see that Santa is safe.” Becki Stratton told him Santa will wear a mask, gloves and have hand-sanitizer everywhere he goes on Christmas Eve.
“It just might take him longer this year, because he has to clean up after each visit,” she added.
Besides Mrs. Claus, the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas has urged its 2,200 members, including Lenny Stratton, to practice coronavirus precautions, given that most Santas are over 60 and may have other health issues.
“Most important to each of our continued success is staying healthy, safe, and keeping our loved ones that way too,” club president Stephen P. Arnold wrote in a recent newsletter. “Follow the science, the CDC guidelines, as well as state and local instructions. We should apply all of their suggestions, including wearing a mask, to help protect others, and social distance whenever possible.”
For his home-based virtual visits, Santa Lenny sits at his laptop in his den. A “blue screen” creates the look of a cozy fireplace, with a Christmas tree and arched windows revealing the snowy landscape of what could be the North Pole.
Being cooped up this year hasn’t really changed what gifts children want this year, he said.
“Nintendo, Barbie’s Dreamhouse, LOL Dolls, Legos, cellphone, pets. Santa never promises everything,” he adds. “Especially not phones or pets.”
“He tells them Santa can’t keep pets in the sleigh or leave them under the tree while everyone’s asleep,” says Becki Stratton. “He tells the children somebody has to pay for the phone service year-round. We try to take these things that don’t make sense for Santa to bring, and turn that into a family-based decision.”
As children start to outgrow their Santa visits, the Strattons try to encourage the older children to “think about giving,” Becki Stratton says. “Everyone can be a Santa (with) a kind heart.”
“And Santa’s all about the heart.”
The Strattons can be reached by email at: blstratton@comcast.net
Diane Broncaccio, who is a retired Greenfield Recorder journalist and now contributes as a freelance writer, can be reached at: diane.broncaccio@gmail.com.