The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Santa got choked up a little this week during a phone call with me, recalling Christmases past in the town of Chico, California, and how different things will be this year.
His calendar is normally booked with volunteer appearances from Thanksgiving through Christmas, all of the events packed with people. But he’s creeping up on age 75, and no one wants to be the person who gives Kris Kringle COVID-19. Ergo, Christmas 2020 is toned down in Chico, as it is in much of the world.
Santa will still ride into the town square on a vintage fire truck, and still help the mayor light the Christmas tree, as he has for nearly 40 years. But there will be no crowd milling about, no children leaning in close to whisper their gift wishes, no photo ops with college students who still get giddy seeing the big guy in the red suit.
Most regrettably, Chico’s most popular volunteer Santa — also known as my brother-in-law Kermit Berge — won’t be able to deliver gifts and food directly to the homes of children pre-selected through a town program aiding the underserved.
Instead, he’ll do his tree-lighting duty with a drone video-camera buzzing overhead so people can watch from their cozy couches, and he’ll allow a younger, less COVID-vulnerable Santa to take on the home visits.
“It’s a bummer,” he said. “I don’t get to go see the kids, which is the best part. They get so excited. But right now, you just have to be careful what you do and where you go. I know there’s people who say COVID’s a bunch of crap, but if it was a bunch of crap, we wouldn’t have it any more.”
The coronavirus has taken so much, greedy little virus that it is, and COVID-fatigue has many of us teetering on the edge of falling apart. Medical professionals are asked to do the impossible because some people still refuse to wear masks. The work-from-home-while-supervising-virtual-school treadmill is breaking parents because Gov. Doug Ducey has prioritized keeping bars open instead of schools. Weddings, birthdays, quinceañeras — all canceled or indefinitely postponed. COVID-19 won’t even let us bury our dead.
So, yeah, we could all use a little holiday cheer. But after years of watching my favorite Santa help others, I’ve realized you don’t actually need the red suit to get the job done. Below are some ways to give Father Christmas a hand and fight off your own case of COVID doldrums.
— Search “Shop local, Tucson.” Buy your gifts there from small, local businesses. Yes, it may cost more than Amazon, but do you really want to line Jeff Bezos’ pockets instead of keeping a Tucson business afloat? I didn’t think so.
— Search “Blax Friday, Tucson” and discover a list of Black-owned businesses. I recommend Baked, owned by Tina Newton. After enjoying a Thanksgiving box of her cookies, I fear I’ll never be satisfied with anything else again.
Prior to COVID-19, Newton sold her wares at farmers markets and pop-up venues. Most of those are closed or not safe enough for her and her four children, so “home delivery is what is saving my business,” she said.
She does all the baking and delivery (free!) herself, so limits how many orders she takes. So if you want something this holiday season (trust me, you do), head over to http://bakedcreation.com/ and put in your order ASAP.
— Pay off part or all of someone’s Christmas layaway at your local Walmart. Parents are going to be needing this help more than ever this year. It is one of my favorite St. Nick things to do.
— Give to Herencia Guadalupana Lab School (www.hgls-prek.com), a nonprofit dedicated to educating preschoolers living in poverty. Founder Ernestina Fuentes earned her doctorate from Harvard, then returned to South Tucson to found Herencia as an “educational approach to release children and families from the generational trauma of poverty.”
— Thinking more globally, donate to the Iodine Global Network (www.ign.org). In the developing world, iodine is lacking in the food supply (or in a pregnant mother’s body) and this deficiency means mental disability in children. Pennies can give the gift of strong brains. Your credit card can do even more.
— Give to Heaven on Earth NOW, Inc. All donations go to programs because the organization has separate funding for overhead, so your money goes directly to people in need. Bare minimum, visit their website (www.heavenonearthnow.net) to learn what foods you should donate to our local food bank.
People in poverty are often malnourished because food banks get donations of cheap, high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. Yes, Virginia, there are healthy non-perishables — and some food banks can take fresh goods as well.
— Finally, bake a few mini-loaves of your favorite quick bread — or cookies or chocolate-dipped mini-pretzels — and freeze them. When the next delivery person rings your doorbell, grab a loaf and give it to him or her. I guarantee the spirit of Christmas will be there as you trade packages.
