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Christmas is just a few weeks away, but that didn’t stop Santa from making a trip to Regina.
Local resident Shawn Hazen wanted to keep the Christmas spirit alive in his southeast Regina neighbourhood. So he did what any sensible person what do — he called his friend Santa to come visit the kids in the community.
“This is supposed to be a magical time of year, and with the way the kids have been affected through the past year I just thought it was really disheartening to have such a long-standing annual tradition just thrown out the window,” Hazen said. “When Santa confirmed his schedule, I thought I’d send out a small group message to the parents in our neighbourhood.
“I told them I spoke with Santa and that he would be stopping outside our house on Sunday at 5.”
Santa showed up in the back of a decorated trailer with Christmas music echoing through the streets to signal his arrival. He was wearing a special mask and gloves while he waved to the kids in the community.
Upon stopping in front of the Hazen residence, there were pylons set up to show where he would be parking and providing gifts for neighbourhood kids.
“Each kid was able to get a photo and a gift from the North Pole,” Hazen said. “They also got a certificate certifying that they made the nice list this year.
“The kids were just absolutely ecstatic.”
Hazen says that Santa doesn’t kid around about health guidelines, adding that all families stayed in their bubbles, wore masks, and physically distanced from one another to get their turn with Santa.
According to Hazen, families in the neighbourhood have been vocal about how much Santa’s visit meant to their kids.
“The kids made some long-lasting memories. For some of them, that was their first encounter with Santa,” he said. “I’m getting parents that are still messaging me saying how happy their kids are that they were able to see Santa.
“I think some people needed this. The world’s in a tough spot. It’s important just to band together and figure out a way to do things safely.”
