This is the season to be very funny, but this year it will be in a way that is far removed socially. The five Christmas pubs were replaced by the five levels of restrictions. Last-minute Christmas purchases in 2020 mean fiercely trying to place orders online before December 17th, with no crowd in sight. Santa’s visit is meaningful grips or grottos.
It is safe to say that this will be a Christmas that we will never forget. But there are plenty of online resources to make sure we can still enjoy – sensibly – this Christmas.
SAINT RESULTS
For many families, Christmas means a trip to the grotto to surprise elves, get a picture with Santa and find out if they are on the bad or nice list. But 2020 is different. While some of Santa’s experiences had to be put off altogether, others moved to driving grotto through or socially to make sure everyone was following Covid’s instructions.
If you would rather not risk even social mixing with people, however, there are other options. You can choose Santa’s interactive experience, whether it’s a personalized Zoom call, video messaging or looking in one of the many webcams that give you a glimpse of what Santa and his elbows are up to. to be.
Baile Elf
Santa’s virtual tours are as far as 2020. Elf Town in Galway is doing the full shebang: live food to Santa’s North Pole grotto, a video link chat with Santa himself, and a special Elf Town medal for every child on the trip posted to them, along with an official invitation by post to the video session. Sessions are limited so close to Christmas, but a few slots are still available. The pre-programmed Zoom messages from Santa to kids are all ordered.
elftowngalway.com
Portable North Pole
Portable North Port has been going for a year or two, offering parents a way to keep the magic alive for a little longer with their little ones – and not so little.
There are a couple of free messages that can be personalized for your child, teenager or adult, but there are other things that can be paid for, including a phone call with Santa on Christmas Eve, an interactive train ride , or updating your behavior to remove the mystery of whether you’ve been good enough to make Santa’s nice list in 2020.
portablenorthpole.com
Santastic
Produced in Ireland, the Santastic experience offers a seven-minute visit with Santa that you can visit when it suits you. Well, within reason; you have to do it before December 23rd, or address a few weird questions from your kids. While a Santastic tour is not as personal as others, it tailors the video depending on whether you choose to visit a boy, girl or family. The whole thing is aimed at children between the ages of four and 10, but we won’t judge you if you’re a few years (or decades) older than that.
https://santastic.ie
Tesco Christmas Grotto
Tesco Retailer has created its own enhanced reality Santa’s Grotto that you can get for free through your smartphone. You need a mobile browser, your volume up, and permission for the site to access the camera on your phone. If you go to the address on your desktop, you are encouraged to scan the QR code with your smartphone to get to a truly amazing grotto.
There’s a crazy fire and Santa in the corner, ready to send out a dose of holiday fun, even if you don’t really feel like being cheerful and bright.
We won’t spoil for you, but Santa has big news for Irish kids, so come in before Christmas Eve – when the grotto is definitely closing for the year – to hear it in person .
tescoire.com/Grotto
SAINT RESULTS
Google Search for Santa
Every December 1st, Google turns on the switch and turns on its Santa Tracker site. But with 24 days between the site going live and Santa clearing the skies, what does a tech giant have to do to fill the time? Create a virtual city of Santa, of course.
Google has created games that cover everything from jigsaws and puzzles to code generation. Once December 24 hits, the site turns to Santa’s controller so kids can follow the journey around the world.
Finder Norad Santa
You can’t do Christmas Eve without Norad’s Santa Tracker. The site has everything from movies on Santa and Norad to a library where you can read up on Santa and his magic eggs. On Christmas Eve, the site will follow Santa’s progress around the world, telling you just how far away from your home.
https://www.noradsanta.org
EALAIN & CRAFTS
The People ‘s Tree of the Museum of Modern Art Ireland
The Christmas tree has a special theme in the courtyard of the Museum of Modern Art Ireland (Imma) this year: a new version of the traditional rag tree. Imma urges people to write or insert their wishes on ribbons and rags to attach it to a specific section on the Christmas tree. The museum has tutorials on its website on how to create ribbons, or you can submit your wishes online. That way, it’s a good move for a very weird festival time.
imma.ie/whats-on/the-peoples-tree/
Irish Primary School Teacher
If you are a parent, 2020 is likely to be the year of rape treatment. So we wouldn’t blame you if you were all out of ideas, PVA call or patience before this time. However, Christmas is traditionally the time when children spoil the recycling bin in a fun name, decorating the house with toilet roll snowmen, Santas cardboard with woolen beards cotton, and an avalanche cut out of every piece of rubbish that will make its way into your letterbox. If you’re all out of ideas, though, the Irish Primary Teacher website has compiled a list of Christmas art ideas, from Christmas baubles and origami trees to Christmas cards and elf art, with accompanying links for each project. Great for a “nailed it” Pinterest board.
irishprimaryteacher.ie/christmas-art-ideas/
Ugly Christmas sweaters
Did you miss out on Christmas sweaters this year? It is still not too late. With a little supply and a little experience, you can DIY an ugly Christmas sweater to be proud of. And if it doesn’t look exactly as you hoped, you can say it did.
APPS CHRISTMAS
Elf Yourself
Who hasn’t put on a suit at some point in their lives? Thanks to the power of technology, you can make yourself an elf without the risk of seeing the neighbors and start giving you a wide bucket. You only have a few good pictures and humor. The app is available for Android and iOS devices.
elfyourself.com
Scout Elf Views
Elf rage on the Shelf hasn’t succeeded yet, but there are plenty of people out there who have. And, depending on exactly what you bought into it, the Elf Scout app may help you with some ideas to keep things fresh: a day trip to catch the incoming elf in jar, crafty elves who like to create their own snowmen, elf “angels” containing marshmallows. If you’ve started on Elf on the Shelf and regretted it, there may be something to help you get in here.
REVIEW
Christmas FM
It’s not Christmas until Christmas FM has started broadcasting every year. With wall-to-wall Christmas songs, from old-fashioned favors to seasonal blink-and-you-miss-them tunes, you can’t help but get into the Christmas spirit.
https://christmasfm.com
Podcast Santa Irish Times
A bit of shameless self-motivation here: The IrishTimes do an exclusive interview with Santa on December 21, with Conor Pope stepping into the hotseat again to interview the man himself. Does Santa really eat those mince pies you leave him? Is milk the best drink to wash down? How can he get into these homes without chimneys? The questions are endless. Will Conor Pope end up on the bad list? It depends on how the interview goes.
https://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts