How to navigate awkward questions about Father Christmas when it comes to COVID and quarantine

So worried are children about Father Christmas being allowed to visit them this year that even politicians are commenting on it. Irish politician @simoncoveney tweeted, “Important message for children of #Ireland - #Santa is coming & will be exempt from #Covid restrictions on International Travel. However children should be aware that social distancing guidelines should apply to Santa”.

This typifies the level of concern that is affecting families across the world, so how do you go about navigating those awkward questions about Father Christmas? Read on to find out our top tips to make the next couple of weeks a little less fraught.

Luckily, the decision in Ireland to make Father Christmas exempt from all Covid travel restrictions has since been supported by the UK’s parliament. They too have confirmed that Saint Nick is allowed to have his own special travel corridor, and that he won’t need to be vaccinated. You can start to assuage any fears that your children might have about whether or not Father Christmas will be visiting by showing them these news articles.

The BBC released a video on 24th November 2020, which also looks at the anxiety children are facing this year about Father Christmas being able to visit them. In it, the BBC (and Father Christmas himself) look at the burning questions children have about Christmas 2020. The big one was “Will Father Christmas be able visit us?” The answer from a consultant virologist at the University of Cambridge was a very comforting ‘yes’. He acknowledged that every country would, of course, have their own rules about what restrictions Kriss Kringle might be subjected to as he makes his way across the globe.

According to news reports, four in ten parents of children under 10 said “they have had to reassure their little ones that Father Christmas and his sleigh will still arrive on December 25th”. They have had to answer questions like:

With the virus, can Rudolph still drive the sleigh? He already has a red nose?
Should we leave some sanitiser out for Santa with the mince pie and carrot?

In addition to worries about Father Christmas visiting them, many children are worried about Coronavirus generally. Those letters to Father Christmas that we fondly remember writing as children are currently being used to reflect the concerns of the young child author. Children are writing to Father Christmas asking him to find a cure for Covid, or asking Father Christmas to make their mother happy after losing their father and grandfather. The impact of the pandemic across the world has been catastrophic, but these letters have revealed the emotional (and financial) impact that the crisis has had on children.

In a year that has witnessed catastrophic news stories steadily mounting as the weeks have gone by, Christmas has become even more important and meaningful for most families. Being able to give your child a touch of normality has become particularly significant this year. So showing them that Father Christmas IS allowed to visit by permission of parliament goes a long way towards creating that sense of normality. The fact that all of us, not just children, are facing a “radical break with tradition” means that we all feel destabilised and at sea with nothing familiar to rely on.

According to child psychologists in order to tackle those awkward conversations about Christmas, it’s best to deal with the matter head on. Don’t leave your child suffering in silence because you don’t know what to say. Being able to have an open, honest and communicative relationship with your child is key for their development.

You might have been holding out on having a conversation about what Christmas 2020 means because you have been holding on to hope that you can spend it the way that you usually do. However, now is the time to accept the facts: Christmas 2020 will be different. Embrace this and then you can begin to make plans for celebrating Christmas in a new way. Explain that you won’t be able to see Grandma and Grandpa (or whichever relatives) this year because they need to be kept safe, but that you can catch up with them online or on the phone. Then think of ways that you can celebrate in your own little bubble. Get creative and make new traditions.

There are so many fabulous festive activities that you can do with your children if you are planning Christmas at home. Of course, you can just spend all day watching Christmas films in your PJs and eating chocolates but if you are an active person who gets easily bored (or your kids do), then that might sound like your worst nightmare. Try making your own Christmas tree decorations, having a Christmas-themed story time with the whole family, sing Christmas karaoke or even have a quiz.

Captain Fantastic has the perfect solution to your Christmas activities with our online Christmas parties. They will keep you all connected no matter the distance between you this year. We have Christmas tunes, interactive games, magic or challenges to entertain you all. There are festive add-ons like Online Santa, Reindeer visits, sing-alongs, balloons and sweets to make your Christmas party even more memorable. You can even have a recording of your party sent to you to cherish forever. All you need to join in with the fun is a laptop or mobile. The party can be 30 minutes, 45 minutes or one hour long, with prices starting at just £70.

All of us here at Captain Fantastic are passionate about keeping special occasions special for children in 2020 (and 2021!). We know that children need to celebrate events like Christmas and key milestones such as their birthday as part of their development. That’s why we launched our innovative idea of hosting parties online. With our online parties, your little ones can still celebrate those big events in their lives. We have themed parties full of challenges, magic, singing, quizzes, puppets, impressions, dares and dancing to make sure that even online you are having an incredible time!