Chronicle Editor
Raymond Jaravaza, Showbiz Correspondent
IF being Father Christmas was a full-time job, the local men in the colourful red and white outfits with that signature long snow-white beard, would be out of work.
Father Christmas is facing tough times in the age of coronavirus.
With coronavirus prevention measures currently in place, Bulawayo residents are slowly coming to the realisation that the bearded men will not be of service to their children this time around.
If anything, Father Christmas is probably staying indoors to keep safe from Covid-19, the novel virus that has claimed the lives of more than 330 Zimbabweans to date.
In the absence of Father Christmas, even in the traditional places that used to host Santa Claus such as OK Supermarket in the city centre, Bulawayo Centre and the Ascot Shopping Centre, parents are thinking out of the box to find ways of entertaining their children during Christmas.
Rumbidzai Chinomona, a mother of a five-year-old son says her child is still too young to understand why Father Christmas is not at the Bulawayo Centre this time around.
“Last year, he played around with Father Christmas and received a few sweets. My husband had made arrangements with the Father Christmas to give our boy a toy we had bought for him. Father Christmas told our son that he must listen to his parents all the time in order to receive another gift the following Christmas.
“It’s a huge thing to receive a gift from Father Christmas for little kids and I’ve been trying to figure out a way to tell my child that we will not be visiting Father Christmas this year,” said Chinomona.
While some people do not believe in Father Christmas, it’s a different story for kids. Children grow up being told about a man who lives forever, resides somewhere in a snowy place, knows what every child in the world desires, drives a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer and enters one’s house through a chimney, which some children don’t even have.
But the little minds of kids believe the Father Christmas story hook, line and sinker.
If the story of Father Christmas was hogwash, big companies would not be wasting huge sums of money hiring the white bearded men to give out presents to kids at their establishments.
In countries such as Germany, the local Father Christmases are being innovative in their interactions with children in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our Santa clauses wear FFP2 (virus filtering) masks inconspicuously under their beards and usually hand out presents outside,” an official of a supermarket chain told the media.
“Our Santas must also change their gloves regularly. And we avoid singing because of the aerosols.”
Back at home in Bulawayo, it appears shop and mall owners opted not to take risks by bringing out Father Christmas in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic.
“Imagine the negative publicity that would erupt if scores of children tested positive to Covid-19 after interacting with a Father Christmas at this shopping centre,” said a shop owner at Ascot Shopping Centre.
Prisca Moyo who was doing her last-minute shopping at Ascot Shopping Centre said she will have to be innovative in finding ways to keep her kids entertained throughout the festive season.
For the first time in years, she did not invite extended family members to her house in Ilanda suburb because of the pandemic.
“Covid-19 is real so people must not take unnecessary risks by inviting too many people over at their houses for Christmas. We all love to have family over at our homes, but it’s not worth the risks.
“I will have to find ways of keeping the kids entertained without making unnecessary trips out of my home,” said Moyo.
However, a few lucky children were lucky to see Santa this year as Bulawayo Chiefs Football Club had one at their shop in the city centre. To see Santa, everyone had to be sanitised before entering his enclosure.
With or without Father Christmas, Bulawayo residents are determined to enjoy the festive season, one which they are strongly encouraged to stay at home and avoid gatherings. – @RaymondJaravaza
Online Reporter