BURLINGTON, N.C. – Usually at this time of the year, Santa portrayers take to malls, parades, and festivals to spread some Christmas cheer. Sadly, this year, all of those events have been canceled, putting portrayers out of jobs.

Tom Heeter and his wife, Shirley, have been dressing up as Mr. and Mrs. Claus for the past 10 years, and have participated in many parades, many of which have been canceled this year. So in light of these cancellations, the couple decided to have a parade of their own in their neighborhood in Burlington.

“This year we have turned down over 60 events because I’m afraid we could have a child sit on my lap who has the coronavirus but doesn’t know it, he gets off my lap and I’m sitting there giving it to the rest of the kids. I’m not worried about myself, I’m worried about spreading it to the other children," Tom says.

Tom built a sleigh specifically for the parade, so he and his wife could say "hello" to neighbors in a socially distant way. Some residents walked in the parade, handing out candy and gifts to children in the neighborhood, they also were joined by fire trucks and ambulances.