Starting Monday (Dec. 14) until Christmas Eve, Santa will be reading and talking to kids about Christmas (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

SANTA'S GOING ONLINE

Santa going online to read stories, bring Christmas joy to Kamloops kids

Dec 11, 2020 | 4:24 PM

KAMLOOPS — Santa Claus is trying to stay jolly and keep up his Christmas spirit. With all in-person visits with the big guy cancelled due to COVID-19, Santa is going virtual.

“It’s different, but it’s something that we want to still bring joy and peace to the world,” said Santa. “I asked my friend Tyler if we would come up to the North Pole and take a picture of me and a video, so I can talk to the kids. Maybe that’ll give them a little bit of happiness for the Christmas season.”

Normally, Santa would be seeing 10,000 kids between Sahali and Aberdeen Mall. However, all the pandemic-related restrictions shut down all the Santa photo shoots. This year, the North Pole is the setting for a video shoot with Santa. He and his elf, photographer Tyler Meade, are putting together video messages for each of the ’12 Days of Christmas.’

“I made a call [to Santa]. He’s got a rotary phone and I said ‘hey, let’s do something for the kids. No one’s going to get to see you. I know you’re going to miss him. I’m going to miss him. Why don’t we do story time. Let’s do something.’ He’s like ‘The 12 Days of Christmas.'”

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The 12 Days of Christmas, featuring story time with Santa, begins Monday and runs until Christmas Eve when he reads The Night Before Christmas. The segments will be available on Meade’s personal Facebook page and YouTube channel for free.

“For the next 12 days, I’m going to read a story, have one of my guys with me like Frosty here. We’re going to tell a story and we’re just going to talk about what happens at Christmas,” said Santa.

Santa and his elves played out multiple scenarios to see if a visit would work, but it wasn’t meant to be.

“We can all make the best. We just have to change. It’s not forever,” said Meade. “Now [the kids] can just sit there and watch them together and watch Santa tell his stories. Hopefully it feels close to home.”