(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Santa will take businesslike meetings with children beginning this weekend at Macy’s, in a format change influenced by the pandemic.
Rather than sit on Santa’s lap, kids will sit across a desk from St. Nick in his office as the Jolly One reviews his “naughty” and “nice” list. The setup is a holdover from the COVID precautions implemented in 2021, one that actually proved quite popular, says Macy's brand and entertainment manager Paul Lopacinski.
"It actually helps with the children that are a little afraid of Santa, to give them that barrier to warm up to Santa,” he said. “It's actually a very interesting to see that the desk has kind of worked to help with that. We've had actually a lot of parents thank us for it."
Santaland in Macy's State Street opens Saturday until Dec. 24.
Other traditions will be back, too. This year marks the 115th anniversary of the Great Tree lighting in its historic Walnut Room. Dining under the Great Tree is a Chicago tradition that spans generations, says Macy’s spokesperson Julianne Olivo.
"The tree is actually built from the top down,” Olivo said.
This year's Great Tree lighting ceremony will be at 11:15 a.m. Saturday.
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