Holiday Markets Rise to COVID Challenge
December 10, 2020
As the coronavirus halts holiday market traditions, new practices emerge to help vendors boost sales.
For Jamie El-Khal, removing Santa Claus from her annual holiday market was not an option.
Now in its ninth year, the Procrastinators Holiday Market in Happy Valley has always had a booth for children to have pictures taken with Mr. and Mrs. Claus. In addition to fewer vendors, hosting the event outdoors and stricter eating guidelines, sitting on Santa’s lap was deemed not to be COVID safe. So El-Khal modified the tradition.
Employing the same actor to play St. Nicholas as she does every year, children can now ring a bell for Santa and his wife to come out of their workshop and wave.