ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Santa Claus has made his way back to the Ohio Valley Mall for the holiday season, and he will remain there through Christmas Eve with a few extra safety precautions in place.

The mall welcomed back its Pictures with Santa event on Saturday. It continues through Dec. 24 at Boscov’s center court.

Candi Noble-Greathouse, marketing director of the mall, said the event has garnered a positive response.

“Everybody that’s been there has been pleased and excited to see Santa,” she said.

The event is slightly different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Noble-Greathouse said there are numerous measures in place to help ensure the safety of those who want to have their photo taken with Santa:

∫ There is a plexiglass safety divider between the child and Santa;

∫ Facial coverings are worn;

∫ Social distancing is practiced; and

∫ Hand sanitizer stations are available.

The photo space is also sanitized between each session.

“The photographer has worked really hard (to provide a safe environment),” she noted.

There is a seperate area where the child can sit safely next to Santa with the clear divider in between. Santa will also don a face shield.

Although, children will not be able to sit on Santa’s lap this year, they will still be able to speak with him about what they would like to receive for Christmas this year.

“As soon as the child comes up, they can talk together (the child and Santa), and then they can go sit in front of the plexiglass,” she said. “And of course it’s cleaned each time another child comes through.”

Noble-Greathouse said there are also some incentives for those who attend. For the rest of this week, the first 50 families to visit Santa each day will receive a free 5×7 photo.

There are also sweet treats available for attendees, sponsored by Garfield’s Restaurant & Pub. This will continue through Saturday, she said.

Those not wishing to wait in line can make an appointment to visit Santa at www.ediimaging.com. The mall encourages families to make an appointment so that time is allowed for cleaning between visits. There is a separate “reservation line” for those who have made appointments.

Pet photos with Santa will run from 6-8 p.m. Nov. 30 through Dec. 14.

Additionally, Mrs. Claus will be visiting the mall virtually every Monday until Dec. 20. She will provide updates from the North Pole and share fun holiday recipes and crafts. Families can then pick up activity kits for children that are based on Mrs. Claus’ weekly theme at the mall’s customer service center. The virtual visits will begin at 11 a.m. each Monday via the mall’s Facebook page.

Noble-Greathouse said the mall also has a “Gingerbread Lane” available for customers to view. There are around a dozen gingerbread houses, each created by a different local nonprofit organization.

“We’re encouraging everyone to vote for your favorite,” she said. “Then we’ll award the top three with donations from the Cafaro Foundation.”

Anyone visiting the mall is encouraged to vote for their favorite gingerbread house. The top three houses with the most votes will receive a $500, $300 and $200 donation from the Cafaro Foundation.

“They’ve all done a great job. … It’s a great way to give back to the local nonprofits right now,” she said. “We’re really excited. We’re happy we were able to do it this year.”

The winners will be announced Dec. 13.