Santa still seeing children at Geneva Visitor Center

GENEVA – Santa is still coming to Geneva, he’s just not going to be in his house – he’s going to be in the Geneva Visitor Center, 10 S. Third St. – visiting with children in a socially distant way.

Since the Geneva Chamber of Commerce could not host its annual Christmas Walk because of the coronavirus pandemic, and children cannot sit on Santa’s lap as in the past.

But chamber spokeswoman Laura Rush said they devised the next best thing.

Children can visit with Santa from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 20.

“It’s by reservation,” Rush said. “We have 180 reservations and a few remaining open in the third weekend.”

Before he arrives at the visitor center, Santa will get into a horse-drawn carriage at 10 a.m. and ride around the downtown for about 20 minutes, before going into the center for meeting with children.

“My opportunity to talk with all the kids is a little more challenging, but I can still get all their letters and see them from a safe distance,” Santa said. “It just means they can’t sit on my lap or come up and whisper in my ear about the secret gift they want to get.”

Because of the pandemic, Christmas is going to be different in a lot of ways this year. There’s some modification, but visits with Santa will still happen, he said.

“This has been a tough year for everybody and the opportunity to see Santa is important. And I think there’s been a lot of creativity on how to allow that to safely happen,” Santa said. “I will be compltely behind glass by myself. They will have the opportunity to be there – on the other side of the window. ... And that way we can take pictures without me wearing a mask.”

In past years, he met with children in the Santa House.

“There would be a big line the whole time I’m there, dozens of kids and families waiting to come in and see us,” Santa said.

With reservations and no walk-ups allows children to have a bit more safety and comfort while they enjoy the holiday tradition – until everyone is vaccinated for Christmas 2021, Santa said.

“Kids can still tell me what they want and have an opportunity for a picture,” he said. “It will be another unique memory of 2020. … The chamber of commerce team figured out a safe way for the tradition to continue and try and bring just that little sense of normalcy back, especially to the kids. They need something like that.”

The cost to see Santa is $10 per family. Registration is through the chamber website, members.genevachamber.com.

Christmas walk can bring as many as 10,000 people or so to Third Street for caroling, the lighting of the tree on the courthouse lawn, Santa’s arrival and local shops offering specials such as the first candy cane of the season.

But with the pandemic, Rush said it was just not possible – though people have called to ask if Christmas Walk will be held this year.

“It’s a tradition for them,” she said.