The 2020 Christmas season: In a pandemic mood

Red is undoubtedly a bright and cheerful color, so why not have Santa Claus put on a red face mask? That is what Santa is wearing this year at Selfridges department store in London — it matches his red robe and follows and the hygiene rules which aim to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

A nod to the times: This chocolate Santa was created in keeping with the 2020 season, too. In the idyllic Bavarian town of Bad Königshofen, a master confectioner had the ingenious idea to add face masks to his Santas made of a variety of chocolate known as Ruby. They are a sales hit.

Toy maker Tino Günther from the Saxon town of Seiffen in the Ore Mountain area had an idea for a new smoker figurine, a traditional decoration in the Christmas season in Germany. It is meant to look like Christian Drosten — the German virologist who has more or less become a household name since the pandemic broke out.

By the time the Christmas season rolls around, Britain's Santa Clauses have finished their training at London's Santa Claus School. Off to work they go! They stand in front of large department stores, and do their very best to spread holiday cheer in shopping malls and pedestrian zones across the country.

New York City traditionally dons lots of glitter, twinkle and lights in the Christmas season. This year, the shopping malls have downsized their decorations a bit — even though you wouldn't necessarily guess that, passing by these huge red ornaments on Sixth Avenue.

In some Asian countries, people stop to marvel at festive Christmas decorations in the streets and store windows. Things have been toned down this year. These two young women in the South Korean capital Seoul like the holiday display well enough to take a photo.

Time for a break from all the hustle and bustle for this Santa Claus. The Israeli Tourism Ministry had the idea to seat him in a deck chair in the Dead Sea. That may just remind people of the climate crisis rather than the season at hand, however.

Christmas decorations in cities and shopping malls are more muted this year in Germany, too, as the coronavirus crisis continues. The motto could be "less is more" — as twinkly as it is, a white plastic Christmas tree does not really fit the bill for German Christmas "Gemütlichkeit," however.

Gemütlichkeit, a feeling of comfort and coziness, is of course very subjective. A family in Delmenhorst, Lower Saxony, created its own Christmas wonderland. It took months to decorate the house from top to bottom, stringing about 60,000 lights. To help Santa find his way, even the chimney is lit.

The Christmas experience surrounding Cologne Cathedral is nothing like in past years. The famous Gothic cathedral stands in silence without the seasonal throngs of tourists at its doors and the lively nearby Christmas market. A single star shines all the more brightly.