Christmas is not the same: 160-year-old tradition of celebration will be broken for the first time in New York

More than a quarter of a million people come to visit Santa Claus every year at the famous Macy's department store in Manhattan. However, the pandemic has made its own adjustments. The edition writes about it Fox5NY.

This year, Santa Claus will not be able to give gifts to children at his residence, located in the flagship department store Macy's, as has happened in previous years. For the first time started almost 160 years ago, the tradition will be disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

More than a quarter of a million people come to visit Santa at Macy's in Manhattan every year. But during a pandemic, it is impossible to create a safe environment for so many people, the company said. After all, in order to take a photo with Santa, crowds of people pass through tight labyrinths reminiscent of Santaland, with a huge number of Christmas trees, toy trains and elves in green costumes.

Santa will also not appear in his stores in Chicago and San Francisco, which have similar Santalands.

However, he will not miss the Thanksgiving Parade, which is also held annually by Macy's. True, this year the parade will be televised.

As the pandemic continues, shops and malls have to adjust to reality and change their typical holiday strategy to serve as many people as possible.

On the subject: Macy's won't cancel New York's Thanksgiving parade, but it will be very quarantine

Walmart, for example, is running its Black Friday sales for four weeks instead of one day.

But Macy's decision is different from that of the owners of other large shopping centers. The latter, despite the pandemic, Santa will visit, but on condition that the children cannot sit on his lap and must maintain a distance of two meters.

Macy's has been hosting guests in New York since the early 1860s and has called itself the "Home of Santa Claus" for decades. In 1947, the department store even produced the film Miracle on 34th Street, which has become a constant Christmas favorite.

What Macy's has to offer this year

From the end of November, everyone will be able to play free online games on the Macy's website. Also, everyone who is interested can go on a virtual tour of Santa Claus's workshop and even chat with him!

The pandemic has forced Macy's to change other holiday traditions as well.

While Macy's won't cancel the Thanksgiving parade, it will make it very quarantine. The traditional parade of giant inflatable toys in New York, organized by the famous retail chain, this year will be held exclusively online. We wrote about where and when New Yorkers can enjoy the spectacle. here.

It is worth noting that this decision was made by Macy's after a "successful, safe and innovative" launch fireworks 4th of july... Crowding during the show was avoided as the fireworks launch sites were not announced in advance. Each show was so short that those who wished did not have time to gather at the place where the fireworks were launched. Therefore, the best option for enjoying the fireworks was the decision to stay at home.