Photos show what Christmas traditions look like in the coronavirus-era, from mall Santas in snow globes to drive-thru light shows
Joey Hadden  Â
Children talk to Santa on Zoom on November 27, 2020 in Crantock, England.Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
This Christmas will undoubtedly look very different. But people around the world have found some creative ways to celebrate the holiday during a pandemic.Safety measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus are limiting some holiday traditions, like sitting on Santa's lap at your local mall.
A mall Santa in Brazil greets a kid from inside a plastic bubble.
REUTERS/Adriano Machado
Instead, some mall Santas sat in festive plastic spheres that resemble snow globes.
Santa Claus inside a plastic bubble greets a child in Brasilia, Brazil.
REUTERS/Adriano Machado
Source: The New York Times
In Rio de Janeiro, a Christmas event creatively reused a retired cable car to keep Santa and children safely apart.
A girl visits a Santa inside an old cable car at Urca Hill in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
Source: Reuters
Inside or out, touching hands through the barrier seemed to replace sitting on Santa's lap this year.
A Santa meets children from inside a plastic bubble at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark.
Ritzau Scanpix/Henning Bagger via REUTERS
Even adults took the opportunity to press their hands against Santas'.
Abilio da Cruz Pinto, 77, dressed as a Santa Claus greets a woman in a shopping mall from behind a plastic barrier in Brasilia, Brazil.
REUTERS/Adriano Machado
Also in Brazil, a version of Santa interacted with kids virtually.
A child interacts by video with "Santa Claus Edi Noel" in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
Source: Reuters
While some Santas were behind plastic, others greeted people behind glass. A scuba Santa swam underwater among sea life at an aquarium in Tokyo.
A diver wearing a Santa costume swims in a large fish tank during an underwater Christmas show at the Sunshine Aquarium in Tokyo, Japan.
REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Source: Reuters via Insider
Drive-thru holiday shows have replaced some typical Christmas villages and light shows.
Children look at lights from inside a car at Luminna Fest, a drive-through Christmas light festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
Source: The Washington Post
At a drive-thru Christmas village in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, patrons could greet Santa from the comfort of their cars.
Children greet a person dressed as Santa from inside a vehicle in a drive-thru Christmas village in Mexico.
REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Source: Reuters
Starlight Lane, a drive-thru Christmas show in Seattle, took place in a parking garage where patrons tune into a radio station for synchronized music.
A vehicle moves through Starlight Lane in Seattle, Washington.
David Ryder/Getty Images
Source: Starlight Lane
Instead of knocking on your door, carollers in Milton Keynes, Britain, sang at a drive-in carol service organized by a local church.
People sing during a drive-in carol service organized by the Watling Valley Churches.
REUTERS/Andrew Boyers
Source: Reuters
At a retirement home outside of Paris, workers performed outside while residents watched through a large window.
Residents watch medical workers perform during a Christmas party at Le Gatinais Korian, a retirement home.
REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Source: Reuters
Christmas meals out are much more private this year at a Ritz-Carlton in Moscow, where guests dine in private rooftop pods.
A waiter sets a table inside a transparent pod for private Christmas meals.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Source: Reuters
The holiday office party looked different this year, too. But one company that makes mini-scenes constructed a holiday party scene to celebrate its employees.
View of a reconstructed Christmas party in the miniature wonderland.
Daniel Bockwoldt/picture alliance via Getty Images
Source: Miniatur Wunderland/Youtube
The operators of Wonderland used a 3D-printer to help recreate the holiday party, calling it the "smallest Christmas party of the world."
A model of a Christmas party is seen.
Daniel Bockwoldt/picture alliance via Getty Images
Source: Miniatur Wunderland/Youtube
Even the holiday tradition of giving back looked different in 2020. This LA-based non-profit distributed toys to kids in need via a drive-thru event.
Baby2Baby Co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer at the Holiday Drive-Thru Distribution.
Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Baby2Baby
Source: Vanity Fair
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