It’s always been about a kid’s gift list when a child gets the chance to visit with Santa, but these days sitting on the jolly one’s lap is, well, on the “Bad List” this year.
So are the usual embraces and most of the other magic that takes place when a kid encounters St. Nick. Christmas parades have been canceled, parties have been postponed, and the majority of Santa’s surprise visits have been, too. This year, we might see Santa Claus, but we’ll not be able to feel his wool red jacket or pull on his beard.
“It is 2020, right? So, that means nothing has been normal,” said “Santa Mike” Slenski, a local man who portrays Santa Claus for Oglebay Park and many communities throughout the Upper Ohio Valley. “The things I have missed most so far are the hugs and seeing the joy in the eyes of the kids. There nothing like it.”
Slenski wears a shield and not a mask when making his appearances like throwing the switch for Oglebay’s annual Festival of Lights, and that is so the children and parents can still see Santa’s smile. He carries hand sanitizer, owns multiple pairs of white gloves, and even moves away from his visitors when they approach too close.
That is because, for Slenski, it’s about delivering Christmas this holiday season and for many more years to come.
“I’ve tried to make it as normal as possible, but I have to admit that it has been emotionally difficult for me and for the boys and girls,” he said. “Not being able to hold them and hug them has been difficult, and in some cases, I haven’t been able to see those beautiful smiles that I live for at this time of year.
“I those things have provided the biggest challenges for me, and many of my larger events have been canceled this year, but I did get to the do the tree lightings in St. Clairsville and in Wheeling, so those events were very enjoyable,” Slenski continued. “But I won’t be able to make visits to the schools or to the childcare centers, and I’m sure the appearances at some restaurants won’t be able to take place either. So, yes, it’s been emotional for me because I very much enjoy bringing that joy to the children and to the parents, too.”
A COVID Christmas?
When he first learned of a coronavirus named COVID-19, “Santa Mike’s” initial thought, of course, was the unknown impact the pandemic would have on this year’s holiday season.
Federal officials with the Center of Disease Control and Prevention advised American families to remain apart for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving celebration, and Slenski wonders if the same guidance will be in place next month.
“It has to be hard for the families, and it’s sad to think the children won’t be able to see grandparents. So many people are frustrated right now, and I understand it because it’s just hard for me not to be Santa in this timeframe,” Slenski admitted. “I do miss the hugs and smiles so much because it is the greatest feeling in the world when they wrap their arms around Santa. That is why I miss holding the real little ones and seeing their smiles.
“Just the fact that there can’t be that emotional bonding that comes with an embrace is horrible, and I don’t know if people understand how devastating that is to the children and the adults,” he said. “That’s why I try to give as much as what is possible while still staying safe. My own children were encouraging me to take this season off, but I just couldn’t do that. It’s about keeping that spirit of Christmas alive, so the precautions are in place.”
He’s Checking Those Lists
Not all of “Santa Mike’s” events have been canceled, so Slenski has interacted with the public on many occasions throughout the Upper Ohio Valley. He’s been able to hear the wish lists exclaimed by the children, and he’s been able to continue traditions like tree lightings and surprise appearances.
It’s different, of course, but many out-of-town families visiting Oglebay’s Wilson Lodge have expressed their appreciation because Santa has been shut down in their communities.
“When I look at my calendar, it appears I still will be able to do about two-thirds of what I usually do, and I have been at the Good Zoo and at Wilson Lodge, and I have been able to take pictures with the children during those times,” Slenski explained. “But they do have to be on a bench or on a sofa and facing forward, and I can be behind them while wearing my shield.
“As long as the children are socially distanced, I am able to talk with them. So, both the children and the parents are grateful that we can have that experience,” he said. “Another challenging thing is that some of the little ones really love Santa, and Santa loves them, but when they come to hold me or hug me, unfortunately I have to back away.”
Slenski has been forced to retreat from parents, too.
“All of the children have been really good about wearing masks because they are used to it by now,” Slenski said. “My challenge sometimes can be with the parents because some of them don’t seem to think they should wear the masks, too. But, over the past two weeks, more and more adults are wearing them because the numbers have gotten much worse.
“I do belong to an organization called the Fraternal Honor of Real Bearded Santas, and it is based in California,” he said. “I would say the majority of those Santas are not holding visits with children this year. That’s why I like to think we are fortunate here in the Northern Panhandle because we are able to do what we can do here.”
