'Will you get dad out of jail?:' Father and son Santas share Christmas stories, COVID plans

This year, when Peter Boxall and his son, Peter Jr., try to bring the joy of Santa Claus to kids, they'll face a unique roadblock: they can't get anywhere close.

Most years, Santa's biggest logistical challenge is making, sourcing and delivering gifts on time, and getting to the homes of children all around the world in one night. Now he's got to figure out how to do all that — and more — physically distanced. 

"I don't know how I'm going to do it," said Peter Jr., who has greeted families in malls for the past seven years.

In 2020, the lines of kids and families waiting to see Santa's thick white beard and bright red suit will be missing. Instead, the COVID-19 pandemic is putting Kris Kringle's internet connection to the test. He'll have to create that same magic through a screen.

"I'm not a fan of the virtual stuff, to me if you don't have the right setup, it doesn't look right," Peter Jr. said.

His father, who has proudly donned the Santa suit for two decades, said it just won't be the same without a child sitting on his lap — and kids will suffer because of it.

"It's very special," Peter Sr. said. "Sometimes the children shock you with what they ask. Like, 'Will you get my dad out of jail? Will you stop my mommy and daddy from fighting?' Things along that line. Santa is the only one to hear those. They're not told to anyone else, so it's very, very privileged."

Still, they'll find a way to make it work. Foto Now, the company Peter Jr. works with, is installing high-quality cameras in his home that will follow where he moves, so he doesn't need to sit like a statue. He'll also have his own mic and a Christmas backdrop.

"We use this backdrop for pictures all the time. It's more or less a fireplace and Christmas trees and that."

But the family will also have to miss the Santa Claus Winter Games in Norway and Finland. That's when roughly 20 Santas get together to meet and compete in competitions including present wrapping, chimney climbing and toboggan races.

Parades are cancelled, for the most part too — Although in Burlington, families will still get a chance to see Santa swing by.

"I'm actually riding in an antique firetruck and we're going through the whole city of Burlington and that's like five days we're doing this. It's all on the weekends in December," Peter Jr. said.

Despite all the complications this year, Peter Jr. hopes kids will still understand the main message of the holidays.

"Just believe; it's such a hard time right now, you may not understand what's going on, just believe that next year we should be back to normal and back to our regular routine where you can come up and see me," he said.