On a recent Saturday morning in Central Southwest Houston, Santa walked into the Black Girl Magic School clad in full robes and a thick face shield nestled in his grayish-white beard. He boomed “Good morning!” as a half-dozen little girls galloped excitedly toward him, embracing his legs.

Within seconds, they spontaneously broke out into a chorus of “Jingle Bells.”

A brief pause in the commotion allowed Nwamaka Unaka, who founded the Black Girl Magic learning pod during the pandemic, to gather the preschoolers for an important reminder: “I know you want to hug Santa, but why do we wear masks?”

“Coronavirus!” they yelled in unison, presumably delighted by guessing the correct answer, and not by our collective predicament.

As the world enters the ninth month of the pandemic, holiday traditions look very different this year. Family gatherings are smaller or virtual. Travel is down. And sitting on Santa’s lap at the mall is not exactly considered a social distance-friendly activity.

“We can still bring the magic of Christmas while making sure we’re being careful.” Kelvin Douglas, the Santa who visited the Black Girl Magic School

Last week, top coronavirus expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told USA Today that “Santa, of all the good qualities, has a lot of good innate immunity.” Belgium’s health minister wrote to St. Nicholas, exempting him from the country’s travel restrictions.

Humoring aside, the Texas Medical Association released a holiday risk chart showing that while writing a letter to Santa is low-risk, taking photos with him is a moderate- to high-risk activity, similar to attending an indoor market or sporting event.

Holographic Santa

Memorial City Mall is putting a social-distance spin on the tradition. Children sit on blocks directly in front of Santa, at 6-feet distance, as the photographer uses angles to make it look as if they are sitting on his lap. The experience is available by reservation only, and the mall began offering it two weeks earlier than the usual post-Thanksgiving weekend, to prevent crowds.

Upon checking in, a staff member takes guests’ temperature and leads them down a festively decorated path with whimsical additions such as 6-foot candy canes. The reservation system allows Santa to have a tablet — or a “magic storybook” — that lists the children’s names and what they want for Christmas, information collected ahead of time. When the interaction is over, staff wipe down the seats before the next family enters.

At Sugar Land Town Square, meeting Santa is even more unconventional — and completely contactless. Kids enter a booth where a holographic Santa head appears in a large snow globe, ready to grant Christmas gift wishes, chat about the holidays and the year in review, and discuss cookie preferences.

There is actually a real person behind the animation. In a small conference room in the building adjacent to the square, there sits Santa: He’s young. He’s trim. He has a red beard. He’s wearing jeans, white sneakers and a Princess Leia T-shirt.

Thanks to facial motion capture technology, local actor Blake Weir can have a live conversation with the children through a headset, a webcam and software that allows the hologram to mimic his movements and facial expressions. Weir does the Santa voice himself, quite convincingly, cheerful with a hint of elder’s wisdom.

Virtual hugs

Wherever Santa appears in the flesh, the risk of exposure is heightened, but that hasn’t stopped many Santas from reporting for festive duty this year.

“I’m 70, so I’m concerned,” said Boaz Arch, a Santa at Memorial City Mall. He’s been mindful of his health during the pandemic, but is pleased the mall found a way to bring children joy, which is what got him in the Santa business in the first place.

This year’s safety precautions present some challenges, particularly when interacting with children. Arch says wearing a face mask means he has to be overly expressive with his eyes. Sometimes it’s difficult to hear what the kids are saying when their mouth is covered and they’re sitting at 6-feet distance. But he tries to give them the best experience possible under the circumstances. At the end, he gives a “virtual hug,” wrapping his arms around himself and encouraging the children to do the same.

“We can still bring the magic of Christmas while making sure we’re being careful,” said Kelvin Douglas, the Santa who visited the Black Girl Magic School.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Girls can be girls at Black Girl Magic School

Magan Butler-Coleman founded Black Santa Houston in 2019 to give all children the opportunity to meet a Santa who looked like their family. The organization’s second year in operation is certainly an odd one.

She organized “Christmas in July” to entertain children during the pandemic summer. The virtual visits were very popular, so by the time the real season rolled around, Butler-Coleman was one step ahead. Black Santa has online appointments with families in Austin and Dallas, as well as California, Florida, Maine and Washington. Before the pandemic, she wouldn’t have thought to extend the experience beyond Houston.

Black Santa makes in-person visits in Houston, too. At the Black Girl Magic School, the girls — ages 3 and 4 — wore Christmas-themed masks and engaged in festive games as Santa helped and encouraged them. They made crafts to deliver to a seniors home and decorated cookies. Between each activity, the adults hoisted them up to the sink to thoroughly wash their hands.

Finally, the girls assembled in a socially distanced circle in the backyard. They feasted on donuts and hot chocolate as they listened to Santa read a story — a children’s book by Ariel Young and Monika Wnęk called “Does Santa Look Like Me?”

As the girls delivered their Christmas wish lists to Santa one by one, parents issued another string of reminders: Pull your mask up all the way over your nose.

Emma Balter grew up in Paris, France, where she got an early taste for good food and wine. She studied English Literature at Newcastle University in the U.K. and got her start in journalism as the lifestyle editor of the student newspaper. She moved to the U.S. in 2012, and spent six years on staff at Wine Spectator magazine, first as a tasting coordinator, then as an editor. She has also contributed to Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, Eater, PureWow, Chowhound and VinePair, among others. Balter joined the Houston Chronicle in March 2020 as a reporter for Preview, where she covers entertainment, food and drink. She can be reached by email at emma.balter@chron.com or by Twitter: @EmmaBalter

Jon Shapley is a staff photographer for the Houston Chronicle, and he’s interested in meeting people and telling stories. A native Houstonian, he joined the Chronicle in 2015. He previously worked at the NPR affiliate in Austin, as well as monthly magazines in Austin and San Antonio. He can be reached by email at jon.shapley@chron.com or by Twitter: @jonjshapley

Steve Gonzales is a senior staff photographer at the Chronicle. He came to the Chronicle as the Director of Photography in 2005. Before moving to Houston, Steve was the Assistant Managing Editor/Photography at the Kansas City Star. He worked in Kansas City for 18 years as a staff photographer, night photo editor, features/sports photo editor. Before Kansas City, he was a staff photographer at the Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Journal. He began his seven-year career in Topeka as a lab technician. He can be reached by email at steve.gonzales@chron.com or by Twitter: @stevegonzaleshc

Design by Julie Takahashi. She is the features digital manager at the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached by email at julie.takahashi@chron.com or by Twitter: @Julie_Takahashi