Toulouse. “Masked” Santas die hard since the Covid
Would the tradition of Santa Claus strolling through cities, the aisles of shopping malls and department stores be lost?
“I will not say that, Alain Romera, 65, Santa Claus for decades with his wife Françoise. But it is true that since the covid, the job is more difficult and the activity has noticed. There is also the multitude of recreation which has made children perhaps a little jaded and whose wonder is more difficult “.
For his part, Alain still lost 80% of his turnover: “I could have worked more but with the covid nothing is easy. You have to put on a mask, or even a visor, keep the barrier distances. with the children for the photo by putting a plush for example for separation, etc. In short, it is sometimes difficult to find the magic of this moment “.
Alain, retired from the Children’s Hospital, works mainly with Christmas markets and individuals. “In the shopping malls it’s slaughter. Pleasure is absent. Too much noise, jostling. Not to mention the often very vague organization.”
A Santa Claus also for the most difficult times
An activity that has seen good days again. Marc, in his fifties remembers: “I put on the Santa Claus costume for years. Walking the streets, playing with the children, surprising them, was pure happiness. We were then a little confident. He confided in us. their desires for gifts, spoke of their secrets sometimes. With the covid pandemic, I stopped. The requests became rarer and the health measures too drastic “. To compensate for his loss of activity, Alain and Françoise also make Christmas scenes: “I also play Father Christmas, free of charge in hospitals to visit sick children. Father Christmas is not only the character of cheerfulness. He is also there for the most difficult moments. Like this child at the end of his life whom I will see on December 23 who, for weeks, has been waiting impatiently for me “.