Visit with Santa includes hand sanitizer

A jolly old fellow who sees thousands of Calgary children each holiday season is taking precautions against swine flu.

Jerry Weeks will visit with as many as 20,000 children over the next six weeks at Santa's Playland in Market Mall.

Weeks, who has represented Santa for 20 years, said he won't be taking any extra precautions this year, but he is aware of the risk of catching and spreading H1N1.

"I am very conscientious every year about health and germs because of how many kids I do see," he said.

"I wear gloves and that's part of the costume but it also … creates a barrier between the kids and I. I have a very big supply of gloves in my dressing room … The beard gets washed every day. We have to make sure that Santa stays healthy too."

www.cbc.ca...

Tis the season...

I don't think I'd want to be a Santa in the mall and have tons of potentially sick kids sitting on my lap sharing the germs.

"Typically elves hand out candy canes, but our elves have been helping with the hand sanitizing," she said.

Here are a few other Santa related articles:

Mall Santa advised to get swine flu shot (November 5, 2009)
www.cbc.ca...

Swine flu 'won't cancel Christmas,' Santa promises (November 17, 2009)
www.google.com...

[edit on 17-11-2009 by ZombieSlayer]

Yep I feel sorry for santa this year. but I lov the pic lol

My wifes niece picks at her butt and smells her fingers.
Along with her nose.

If I was going to be a santa and see about 20k kids this holiday season. I'd be asking for a bio suit and hazard pay. lol.

Originally posted by grey580
My wifes niece picks at her butt and smells her fingers.
Along with her nose.

If I was going to be a santa and see about 20k kids this holiday season. I'd be asking for a bio suit and hazard pay. lol.

HAHAHAHA, brilliant

So this year kids get to visit with Sanitary Claus?

I wonder what will remain in their memories longer: their interaction with Santa, or the cleansing rituals?

Now that this new protocol has been established, there's no way that this event can ever take place the way that it used to.

Professional Santas want H1N1 shots

A U.S.-based group representing people who portray Santa Claus during the Christmas season wants its members to be designated a priority group to receive the swine flu vaccine.

Over the next few weeks, Father Christmases will come into contact with thousands of children at shopping malls and Santa Claus parades.

The Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, a fraternal organization that provides training and resources for people who work or volunteer as Santa Clauses, said the health of its roughly 700 members is a real concern.

www.cbc.ca...

I love the idea of Santa Claus, always have.

However, I think the whole idea of mall-santa is ridiculous. Every kid I know and even as a kid I knew that wasn't the "real" Santa and was just a dumb old joke... It's a money scheme and every year people line on up to give up the dollars for a picture of their kid with a dud-in-a-suit... I don't get it. Mall-santa = money-racket


Go outside, take your own festive and holiday photos, have family time, 'tis the season and all that jazz...