NEW YORK – Macy’s said Santa Claus will not be welcoming children to its New York flagship store this year due to the coronavirus, disrupting a Christmas tradition that began nearly 160 years ago.
More than a quarter of a million people come to see Santa at Macy’s in New York every year, the company said, making it difficult to create a safe environment during a pandemic. Before taking a photo with the jolly character, crowds walk in tight spaces through a Santaland maze that’s filled with Christmas trees, toy trains, and elves dressed in green costumes.
Santa will also not appear in your Chicago and San Francisco stores, which have similar Santalands. But it will continue to appear at the end of the televised Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the company said.
With the coronavirus still in full swing, stores and malls have to rework their typical holiday strategy, which had been to bring as many people as possible to their doors. Walmart, for example, keeps its Black Friday deals for four weeks, instead of one day.
But Macy’s decision differs from that of large mall owners, who will go ahead with Santa’s in-person visits by prohibiting children from sitting on his lap and making sure they stay six feet from him.
Macy’s has been using Santa Claus to draw crowds to its New York store since the early 1860s, calling itself “The Home of Santa Claus” for decades. And Macy’s had a starring role in the 1947 film “Miracle on 34th Street,” where a young girl discovers the real Santa inside the store.
Macy’s will offer a free online experience on its website in late November where families can play games, take a virtual tour of Santa’s workshop, and take a selfie with Santa.
“Moving to a virtual engagement will surely bring the magic of Santa Claus to children of all ages this year,” Macy’s said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The pandemic has forced Macy’s to modify other Christmas traditions.
To deter the crowds, its annual Thanksgiving Day parade will not follow its usual route through Manhattan. Instead, floats, artists and giant cartoon balloons will be filmed for television in front of the Herald Square store in New York.
Macy’s also abandoned a one-night fireworks show on July 4 and held smaller fireworks shows without warning to prevent people from gathering to watch.
– .
