The reality of photos with Santa in the Covid-19 era: 'It's a sad, sad day'

Aussie influencer Roxy Jacenko shared a snap of her kids social distancing with Santa. Photo / Supplied

We know Christmas will look very different this year, but now we've got a glimpse at just how things have changed.

Australian PR queen Roxy Jacenko has been one of the first celebs to share a snap of her children's annual Santa photo - and gone are the days of sitting on the big guy's lap.

"What Santa Photos look like during a pandemic," the mum-of-two wrote alongside a photo of her kids Pixie and Hunter sitting a solid 1.5m away from Saint Nick.

The Sydney socialite's fans thought the pic was hilarious, with influencer Laura Hazzouri even saying "this has to be a joke".

Another account commented, "That's more than 1.5 metres, Santa is being very cautious".

One woman said it was a "sad, sad" day.

"Hopefully we look back and laugh in the years to come," she added.

Others pointed out how people were closer to the checkout staff at supermarkets, and how kids probably prefer this anyway as some freak out sitting on Santa's lap.

"There's literally no point in Santa being there. They could have Photoshopped the kids in every photo and saved a ton of money!!" one woman concluded.

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What Santa Photos look like during a pandemic 😷 @huntercurtis14 @pixiecurtis 🤔

A post shared by ROXY JACENKO (@roxyjacenko) on Nov 8, 2020 at 2:20pm PST

Some said they won't bother with a Santa photo this year because of social distancing measures.

People just aren't going to have to socially distance if they decide to see Santa – they can expect to see the jolly man in the red suit looking a lot younger too because of the increased risk of Covid-19 for people over the age of 60.

One new Santa recruit, Rowan Stewart, 37, told The Daily Telegraph he's excited by the opportunity and will be ready to answer any kids' questions about his age or appearance.

"I'd just say that Santa's been on those low-calorie biscuits and he's been doing a lot of working out, and thank them for the compliment," he said.