As children at a metro Detroit Christmas tree lighting suddenly stampeded toward him, Santa Orrin VanLoon had to think fast. Dressed in his season's red suit, black boots and jaunty hat, he held up a white-gloved hand and yelled: "No, go back!"

"That's been the hardest thing," said VanLoon, a 77-year-old former minister and truck driver from Oak Park. He's serving as Santa at private parties and public events this year after being sidelined due to pandemic cancellations — and a bowel obstruction that was unrelated to the pandemic — last season. "It's hard to say, 'Whoa. Hold it!'"

It's counterintuitive, for sure — kids are accustomed to rushing Santa and Santa is accustomed to welcoming them warmly.

But it's also the reality of Santa's situation during this, the second holiday season of the coronavirus pandemic.  Last year, many Santas — their relative advanced ages and substantial builds fueling underlying medical conditions that are so attractive to the coronavirus — sat out Christmas on the advice of doctors and urging of loved ones. Plus, lots of venues canceled festivities. This year, with vaccinations and boosters available, Santa is back — with, in many cases, restrictions.

Whispering in Santa's ear is no longer a guarantee for kids. Neither is knee time — industry parlance for the placement of a child upon Santa's knee. 

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At the Village of Rochester Hills shopping center, children are required to stay 5 or 6 feet away from the outside gazebo where Santa sits. "The kids walk up, they visit with Santa, they talk to him for a few minutes and off they go," said Pamela Linder, the mall's marketing director. "It's an outdoor atmosphere, which seems to make our guests extremely comfortable." (There's no photographer on site; parents or other family members take pictures at the visits, which are free.)

In Owosso, Santa seekers board a train, the North Pole Express, and journey about 30 miles northwest to the Village of Ashley Country Christmas, a mock North Pole in Ashley. When it's time to meet Santa, children sit on a bench a distance away from the jolly old elf. When it's time for photos, they stand or remain seated in front of him.

When it comes to Santa-ing, Santa Orrin, who said he is fully vaccinated and boostered, tries his best to keep the children a few feet in front of him, too. 

"We want to be as careful as we can," said Santa Orrin. 

"We did a tree lighting ceremony, I won't say what city it was, but for the most part they kept an open area for us to get up to where the platform was," he said  "As we were going, some of the folks were pushing their kids toward us. That's the biggest problem I've seen: parents pushing their kids."

But for the most part, kids and their parents are respectful of Santa's boundaries and his concern about safety for all. At private in-home parties, guests are required to wear masks when Santa Orrin and his wife, 75-year-old Linda VanLoon, who works as Mrs. Claus, enter the house. Once the Christmas couple is situated, families can take off their masks as long as they stay 6 feet away. Children are asked to put on their masks when they approach the duo and to stay a couple feet away from them, too.

"When we get to go out and see the little ones and families and see their little traditions and different things, it just warms our hearts. We just so wish we could take them into our arms," said Linda VanLoon. But this year there is no lap time.  "A couple of families, they were disappointed because they love those pictures. At the same time, they do understand, of course."

Said Santa Roger Weyersberg, who is 70, works at the Village of Ashley Country Christmas and also works with a photo studio, does private events and online Santa chats: "There's just this excitement." Families are "appreciative about what they lost for a period of time."

Santa Tony Baltimore, a 44-year-old law clerk from Lansing who usually makes one or two Santa appearances a year for area nonprofits, recently received a note of gratitude  from a young boy. Santa Tony was virtual last year, so the boy "waited two years to give me a thank you note. That was very kind."

But Santa Tony's one event this year was low key, compared with pre-pandemic years. About 15 kids showed up instead of the usual 30 or 40. "I’m fully vaccinated and so I really, I think the decision was on me to wear a mask. I chose to wear a mask and the kids and parents were definitely wearing masks. I thought it was a pretty safe event for the most part.” But, he said, "with the (coronavirus infection) numbers being up in Michigan, I think people are not just doing the type of parties that they are normally doing."

That's not the case for Santa Roger, a former high school band director and instructor at Saginaw Valley State University, who says he's busy from morning to night. "It's a combination of things," he said. "I think there's a shortage of Santas. I think there's a number of Santas that are still apprehensive about doing face-to-face. Frankly, there's a few of us that have passed away, too."

As for precautions, Santa Roger — who had COVID-19 in November 2020 and considers himself lucky that he didn't have to be hospitalized  — said he's fully vaccinated and boostered. He does not wear a mask at appearances unless a family or event organizer asks him to do so. He allows lap time unless a venue forbids it. Sometimes event organizers ask him to test for coronavirus before events, and he does so happily. 

"People (must) be patient and be understanding," said Santa Orrin. "Just to be sensible about gatherings and things like that."

"We need to be kind."

Contact Georgea Kovanis: gkovanis@freepress.com