In 2020, Mall Santa Visits Will Be Different In Massachusetts

MARLBOROUGH, MA — When the coronavirus pandemic began hitting Massachusetts last March, malls across the state closed, taking Easter bunny photo opportunities with them.

But this holiday season, local malls are planning to forge ahead with traditional Santa Claus attractions — although it won't be quite the same experience as usual.

At most local Simon-owned malls — including Solomon Pond in Marlborough, the Auburn Mall and the Chestnut Hill Mall — Santa will arrive on Black Friday. Simon is encouraging parents to reserve a Santa visit online before heading out to shop.

Each Santa visit will include masks and social distancing — that means no lap-sitting. Kids will still be able to hand Santa a wish list, however.

"Behind the scenes, Santa and staff will have daily health screenings and temperature checks, and there will be a focus on hygiene and cleanliness at the set," a Simon spokesperson said. "Overall, our experiences with Santa will follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health agencies, including all the day-to-day best practices we are accustomed to seeing in other retail businesses and public areas."

At the Natick Mall, kids will get to take "Santa’s Elevator Express" to a special area of the mall to hang out in the vicinity of St. Nick. There will be photos, but no contact.

The mall's owner, Brookfield, has also partnered with the service JingleRing to allow kids to have a virtual visit with either Santa or Mrs. Claus. Brookfield also owns the Providence Place mall in Rhode Island.

But demand for mall Santa visits may be down in 2020, anyway. According to an October survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers, there may be as much as a 20-point drop in the share of Americans who plan to shop at a mall this holiday season.

All local malls will still open early on Black Friday for the expected rush, and slots for socially-distanced visits were filling up days before the shopping holiday.