Ho ho ho! Not even the COVID-19 global pandemic can put a damper on Christmas this year. Despite it all, the big man in the red suit—AKA Santa Claus himself—is still coming to town. And though you may not be able to snap a picture with Santa at the mall, there are still plenty of ways to keep kids’ spirits up leading to the big day. After all, just like school, work, and your yoga class, Santa, too, is going Virtual Santa Visits, you can Zoom Santa!
This year, the whole family can visit with Santa the same way they’ve been keeping in contact with everyone else during social distancing. Namely, that’s FaceTime. There are a ton of different programs, apps, and platforms through which kids can video-chat with Santa or get a message from him or Mrs. Claus for the holidays, call Santa, video chat with Santas, and do a Zoom with Santas. Some of these virtual online visits are even free!
Tis the season to go virtual! With coronavirus changing the way we celebrate holidays this year, different websites, apps, and companies have adapted to the times to make meeting with Santsa Claus over the internet more accessible to all. Here are a few ways your kids can virtually meet Santas Claus.
1. Santa — The Experience
Get ready for a magical interactive journey through The North Pole with Pickles the Elf, a meeting with Mrs. Clause, and a personalized LIVE chat with Santas himself! The entire experience lasts approximately 15 minutes, and starts off at the Sleigh Ride Flight Control Center before going through five magical scenes. The experience is extremely personalized, as you can share information on the booking form so Santas has some context such as name, age, Christmas wish list and a funny moment which happened this year.
You can upgrade to the Elftastic Package, , you will receive your edited Zoom video chat with Santas, plus print at home Nice List Certificates with your little one’s name on them, and a horizontal and vertical photo of your kids on screen. Times are available now, with prices starting at $35 per family pass!
2. Chit-Chat With Santa
If your child prefers to smalltalk with Santas and Mrs. Claus, both North Pole residents are now booking live, virtual visits through Chit-Chat With Santas. You can schedule a personalized, live video call with either Mr. or Mrs. Claus for $28 for a 10-minute video call.
There’s also the option to experience Story Time With Mrs. Claus (also $28) or a Claus Clip (which is a pre-recorded 60-to 90-second video greeting from Santas or Mrs. Claus) for $20.
3. Video Call Santa
With Video Call Santa, families can essentially FaceTime Santa Claus (no additional Zoom download required). Available on both iOS and Android, families can pick their Santa—either American or British—personalize a call as either incoming (Santa calls you!) or outgoing (you call Santas!), and let Santas greet your child by name. During the call, Santa will ask a series of personable questions: Have you been naughty or nice? What do you want for Christmas?and parents even have the option of giving Santas a heads-up about a specific question or thing to say.
So, for example, you can ask Santas (in advance) to say, “I hear you haven’t been going to bed on time. Can you promise me you’ll be good and go to bed on time?” or whatever behavior you’d like to Santas to call out.
The video chat is automatically recorded, and can then be saved to Camera Roll to be shared with friends and family members.
4. It’s the Real Santa
With It’s the Real Santas,s kids receive a personalized message from Santa for $44.95. Each message from Kris Kringle is personalized to your specific kid and family—so if you want Santas to encourage your child to do a specific chore, call-out what’s on your child’s wishlist, or say the dog’s name in the message, he’ll do just that!
