Alaska Life

A socially distant visit to Santa Claus is a sign of the times at one Anchorage store

The holidays are offering people in Anchorage and throughout the country endless opportunities to get creative with their traditions in the midst of the pandemic — and taking pictures with Santa Claus is no exception.

At the Anchorage Bass Pro Shops store near Mountain View, children still lined up to share their Christmas wish lists and promises of good behavior with Santa, though their voices were muffled through their face masks and a protective sheet of plexiglass separated them from St. Nick, who was wearing a face shield.

Santa Claus, who declined to provide another name, said he left his summer home in Santa Claus, Indiana, and ventured north this year to “spend more time up near the North Pole to maintain a social distance.”

“Smile with your eyes!” one of Santa’s helpers shouted as Mitchell, Mason and Meredith Turpin all opened their eyes as wide as possible, face masks covering big grins and plexiglass blocking Santa’s lap.

“It’s a little difficult this year,” Santa said. “I think it’ll be better next year. That’s what we are going to look for.”

He is “tickled” that Bass Pro Shops is thinking of the children and their health while still managing to keep the magic of the season alive. Still, the distance and separation are hard to ignore.

“It’s like I’m a bank teller now,” Santa said from behind the clear divider.

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Between each family’s visit, the area is sanitized while temperatures are taken.

For Santa, adjusting to the lack of interactions caused by the pandemic has been difficult. Meeting children brings joy to his life, and he said he’s thankful to be able to continue this year. He recalled a little girl named Kendra he met 20 years ago and the wonder in her eyes when she looked up at him.

“She has no idea what impact she’s had on my life since then,” he said. “I felt like an iceberg in the Mediterranean and I’ve been melting ever since.”

Emily Mesner

Emily Mesner is a multimedia journalist for the Anchorage Daily News. She previously worked for the National Park Service at Denali National Park and Preserve and the Western Arctic National Parklands in Kotzebue, at the Cordova Times and at the Jackson Citizen Patriot in Jackson, Michigan.

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