The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every single holiday it has overlapped. First it was Easter in April, then Mother’s Day in May, and so on. With all of the quarantine recommendations, travel restrictions and social distancing precautions, it makes it hard to celebrate occasions the way we once did,  safely and with loved ones.

Now, with cases of COOVID spiking and the CDC recommending people forgo traveling for Thanksgiving, you may start to be wondering (and dreading) how COVID-19 will affect the holiday of all holidays: Christmas, on December 25.

A time that’s most often known for its comfort and joy might bring about a lot of trepidation this year—especially for the kids. In fact, they might be wondering whether Santa Claus is going to be able to make it to their house to give them presents. Did the North Pole have to close? Did all the elves get laid off? Have they been able to make toys while social distancing? There are a lot of questions to be answered here.

With Santa set to visit millions of kid’s homes in one night, it only makes sense that he’d be the super spreader among all super spreaders. However, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has one answer that’s bound to cheer up any worried kiddos.

Dr. Facui says that Santa Claus will still be able to make his rounds on Christmas, even with the pandemic still ongoing. Why? Because Santa is actually immune to COVID-19.

“Santa is exempt from this because Santa, of all the good qualities, has a lot of good innate immunity,” Dr. Fauci told USA Today. “Santa is not going to be spreading any infections to anybody.”

Whew! Well, that’s a relief.

It’s important that kids still don’t expect Christmas to be JUST like it always is, however. For example, if your tradition is going to your local mall to get a picture with the white-bearded man, that may not happen. But don’t worry, there’s also a good reason that you can tell the kids why that might not happen.

“Santa does not want the kids to line up waiting to see him because he doesn’t want to spread germs. Santa gets sad if the kids or their families are sick,” said Dr. Gina Song, a pediatrician at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva, Illinois. “So this year, Santa will be watching you from afar, giving you the gift of good health and will only visit when no one is around on Christmas Eve.”

What a magical being that Santa!

How will your Christmas celebrations differ than in previous years?